A Crash of Hope
by Icee67
Summary: A-Team undergoes a sudden crash landing and must survive in the Amazon Jungle. Can they do it?  Chapter 14 is up!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OKAY! Now before you review me saying, "Hey! You already have this story up, you just changed the name!" Read this note!**

**Yes, you are right. BUT I needed to change this. In case you read the author's note on the first one, Lost, then you will understand. **

**NOW, this is my idea! I am going to put up my original plan, that will NOT involve Trisia, or animals that really aren't in the Amazon. I went and looked up Amazon animals, so those will be correct. No sappy scenes between the characters, and more Hurt/Comfort, due to what goes on with Murdock. **

**These first two or three chapters will be taken from the first story, but after the storm B.A. notes about at the end of Chapter 5 in Lost, is where things will change. It will only be the four of them, and a sick Murdock. **

**PLEASE let me know what you think! I'm trying to save a story, and this seemed like a good idea. And thank you _InsideYourDreams24 _for suggesting a new story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the A-Team or the Amazon**

**

* * *

**"This is worse than Mexico!" B.A. Baracus was screaming up to the front of the plane. Hannibal Smith turned to look back at the big man and pointed his cigar accusingly at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be knocked out?"

Faceman Peck snorted and H.M. Murdock shuddered, knowing if B.A. got out of his restraints, he'd come right for him without hesitation.

"I was! Until this crazy fool woke me! What's going on?" B.A. fought hard against the restraints and Hannibal completely turned around in his seat.

"If you must know, we are in a situation-"

"-I'm going to KILL you Murdock!"

Face sighed and also looked back to B.A.. "Killing our pilot is not going to help us any."

"Agreed." Murdock nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the cloud lining.

Hannibal momentarily looked away from B.A. at the sound of Murdock's strained voice. "Are you sure you've got this under control, Captain?"

Murdock glanced back at him with an offended look. "You're serious?"

Face punched Murdock's arm from the co-pilot's seat. "Keep your eyes on the sky!"

"You are going to be pounded to death when I get out of these, fool!" B.A. threatened up to Murdock.

To Face and Hannibal's utter surprise, Murdock turned his torso back towards B.A. and argued back. "You're not helping my concentration any! Just please-"

"-you can't concentrate! Just land this plane before I make you!"

Murdock suddenly jerked back, holding his left hand. "Ouch!"

Face grabbed the steering control as Murdock's elbow turned it to the side sharply. "What?"

"Billy clawed me!" Murdock cried out, showing them his undamaged hand. B.A. let out a baby-like whine. "THERE IS NO DOG!"

"Is to!"

"SHUT UP!" Face cut through, trying to steer the plane. "Murdock, take this thing right now and land us!"

Murdock slowly obeyed, turning with an angered look on his face.

Hannibal sighed and moved to look out the window more clearly and blinked when he saw the land that was approaching. "Um...Captain?"

Murdock nodded violently. "I know."

A sudden explosion was heard, coming from middle of the plane. "I think that was one of the engines." Face reported, trying to look out his window at the wing behind them. B.A. began thrashing harder and Murdock's hands danced over the controls faster than Hannibal had seen before. An alarm went off right by Face's right arm and he immediately turned on it. "Colonel...there's an overheating in the remaining engine. It's sending circuit sparks up to the main controls..." Face's voice began to shake as his words faded, but the others all got the message.

"If this cockpit get's to many sparks, and they can't get released elsewhere...pressure will build up and..." Hannibal stopped when Murdock turned around to look him right in the eye.

"Boss, I'm sorry." He said, his voice cracking.

"Murdock, don't say-" Hannibal began, but Murdock shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

Right after his words, Face's eyes widened and he tried to yell out but before he could, the controls right in front of the two exploded and Hannibal felt himself and B.A. being thrown backwards, down the aisle of the plane. Opening his eyes, Hannibal saw Face diving from the cockpit and when he re-closed his eyes, he felt a heavy weight crash down on top of him. Murdock rolled over on Hannibal and moaned. Face crawled down the aisle to where B.A. was releasing himself from the restraints.

"We're going down." He whispered in a hoarse voice to the others.

The plane went spiraling down towards the trees of the Amazon Jungle, the jungle growing closer and closer.

"Brace yourselves!" Face shouted, grabbed the seat nearest him.

Hannibal felt Murdock sliding off of him and knew he was barely conscious. Grabbing Murdock's thin frame, Hannibal grabbed a seat with his free arm and pulled himself into a sitting position.

The landing was extremely rough and they all were tossed back down the aisle. Once everything had stilled and calmed down, Face lifted his head and found himself staring into a fuzzy cockpit with smoke billowing out from the controls.

"Oh God." He whispered, shaking his head to clear his vision.

Beside him, B.A. grumbled a string of curses and looked up into the fire like Face.

"Let's look on the bright side." Hannibal's voice came from behind them. "The military will have a pretty difficult time finding us now."

They both turned around to look at the Colonel. He was flat on his back with Murdock at his side, on his stomach.

"Colonel, are you okay?" Face asked, wincing at his scratchy voice.

Hannibal grinned and nodded. "I think so."

B.A. used his chin to indicate Murdock. "How about that crazy fool?"

Face looked over at Murdock and gasped. "Oh my God."

Hannibal's grin disappeared as he rolled Murdock onto his back. His shirt was blackened and his face was slightly burned. "Oh God, oh no." Face was muttering, holding his head in his hands as Hannibal sat up.

"Let's make sure his chest isn't burned." Hannibal was saying as he grabbed the bottom of Murdock's tee-shirt and gently, slowly, edged up along his stomach.

Face bent his head in, sighing with relief when he saw the undamaged skin. "He's fine. The shirt protected it. But his face..."

Hannibal released the shirt and used his index and middle fingers to turn Murdock's face towards him, carefully prodding his burned cheek. "It's not too bad. If we place a wet cloth over it for a while, it should be fine."

B.A. huffed. "You ain't a doctor, Hannibal."

Hannibal glanced up at him, but otherwise ignored him. "Faceman, get me a cloth of some kind. B.A. carry Murdock out, I'll follow up, examine the land a little."

The team moved quickly, B.A. setting Murdock down on a grassy land and Face placing a wet wad of paper towels from the small bathroom on Murdock's cheek.

* * *

They had been sitting outside the plane for about an hour when Murdock finally stirred. His hand reached up and groped the wet towels, groaning as his cheek began to throb more.

Face was suddenly by his side. "Hey, buddy. You okay?"

Murdock merely made a gurgling sound and cringed at the burning pain.

"Yeah, got a little beat up. Your shirt took a hard hitting, if it hadn't been there, you would have a serious chest burn."

Murdock opened his eyes slowly and his gaze rested on Face's disheveled figure kneeling beside him.

"Wha.." He managed to get out, looking down at his bare chest and the heap of burned clothing beside him.

"You're controls exploded. You were flung backwards into us at the end of the aisle. We're in the Amazon."

Murdock let out a hoarse sob, trying to sit up. "I failed us."

Face felt a deep sorrow for the poor guy. "No, you didn't. Don't even say that."

"But...I've never crashed a plane twice. Now we're stuck here." His eyes over-filled with tears and Face wrapped his arms around Murdock's shaking body. He allowed it and cried into Face's shoulder.

"We're going to be fine, buddy. Just hang in there." Face soothed him, rubbing his back.

Murdock suddenly reared back and stared at Face with huge eyes and a frightened expression. "Face."

"Yes?"

"Billy."

Face sighed, knowing that Murdock most likely would say his imaginary dog was dead or something. "What about Billy?"

"He's not here!" Murdock began sobbing again and much to Face's surprise, fell right into his arms and kept his arms around Face like a vice. Face hugged him back, trying to calm him, when he heard B.A. and Hannibal's voice carrying up through the shrub. They were returning back and Face needed to go help them get all the firewood back up the hill.

He tried to pry the sobbing man's arms from his neck, but Murdock refused to let go. "Hey, I gotta go help them."

"Don't leave! Please!" Murdock held on tighter, as if that was possible, and buried his face in Face's shoulder.

Face sighed and lowered himself back to a sitting position and waited for B.A. and Hannibal to appear over the hill.

When they did, Face sent them a look and they kept quiet, setting the wood down and slowly sitting a few feet away. After what felt like an hour, but was only five minutes, Murdock sniffed and lifted his face to look around at them all.

His eyes landed on Hannibal and he bit his lip. "Boss, I'm sorry."

Hannibal held his hand up, lowering his head. "Don't even say it. I don't blame you."

B.A. snorted by his side and he glared at him, shushing him.

"Do we have any food?" Face asked, watching Murdock shift around so he was facing the team but was still in Face's arms.

"I saw many animals down in the jungle. Fish, too." Hannibal set about arranging the firewood, making a small stack. "I haven't actually fished in a long time...but I'm not going to jinx us by saying it'll be easy."

Face sighed, leaning his head back against a tree and sighing. "Anything in the plane that hasn't burned?"

"Peanuts." Murdock muttered, reaching up for his hat and not feeling it. "Where's my hat?"

Hannibal chewed on the end of his cigar thoughtfully, made a humming sound, and stood, going back into the plane. He came back a few minutes later, carrying the red hat in his hands. "It fell off when you fell down the aisle. I think it's alright." He tossed it over and Murdock caught it, checking it over before snapping it onto his head.

Face sighed. "So our dinner course is going to be...peanuts?"

"Face, please don't complain. We have a more serious problem, and that's that we're stuck in the Amazon Jungle with no way out, and no way to contact anyone." Hannibal looked around, his shoulders tense as if waiting for something to come attack.

"I've got my cell." Face argued, reaching for his pocket. As he pulled it out, Hannibal was shaking his head. "Well let me know when you find service." He said, raising an eyebrow. B.A., having been quiet the whole time, threw a stick into the fire. "So we stuck here?"

"We are." Hannibal clarified.

"I blame you, Murdock." B.A. glared accusingly at the drowsy pilot, still curled up at Face's side. Murdock sighed, closing his eyes. "I couldn't stop it, the plane just started breaking down."

"Yeah, cause you were the one flying it, fool!" B.A. made a move almost like he was going to go grab Murdock up in a choke hold, but when Murdock opened his big eyes and gazed at B.A., the bigger man froze, seeing the regret and tears in his brown eyes.

Face squeezed Murdock's shoulder and Hannibal gave him a reassuring look, not wanting to hear any more apologies from the younger one. It was quiet for a while, Murdock eventually drifting off into a fitful sleep and Face's head drooped down onto Murdock's, his eyes closing. B.A. and Hannibal met eyes and stared at each other, thinking the same thing. They needed a way out.

"You get some sleep, B.A., I'll keep a watch." Hannibal had whispered a while later, the jungle already blackened. "You sure, man?" B.A. asked, trying to deny how tired he really was.

But Hannibal nodded, threatening to make that an order and B.A. shook his head, but otherwise obeyed, sinking down and closing his eyes.

It was two hours when Hannibal came back into reality, having been lost in his deep thoughts while the soft snores of his team surrounded him. He stared off into the jungle, and when his gaze drifted back to the fire, he jumped, his hand flying up to his heart.

A pair of big, brown eyes were staring at him.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He asked, almost teasingly.

"I was. Nightmare." Murdock whispered hoarsely, hugging his jacket around himself. He sat up a little, swatting at a few bugs that fly near his face and hugged his knees to his chest. It may be South America, but for some reason, it was kinda chilly, Hannibal was thinking as he watched the pilot shiver once.

"Come here." He offered, holding an arm out. Murdock hesitated, almost unsure, but slid over around the fire and settled himself under Hannibal's warm arm. Hannibal patted his shoulder, tossing a stray stick into the small fire. "Now, you must understand something, Murdock." He began in a serious tone and the pilot bit his cheek, waiting.

"I don't blame you for this an any way. And neither does Face. B.A., well...he's got his own opinions. But I don't want you taking this down too deep. I know you're upset, and I know you feel like a failure. But Murdock, you're not." Hannibal was saying, his eyes holding Murdock's as he stared up at him, still not believing him. The older man knew it was hard to convince Murdock when his mind was really set on something...kinda like Hannibal himself.

_We're more alike than I thought._ He thought as Murdock shifted beside him so he could sit at eye level with Hannibal.

"You don't understand. You're not a pilot like I am. Flying means the world to me, crashing is like watching the person you love more than anything die right before your eyes. You can't take it that you caused this destruction and killed them all." He was muttering, looking away from Hannibal's confused expression.

"No one's dead right now. You haven't failed us." He said again, trying to make Murdock see. Murdock shook his head, looking doubtful. Hannibal let out a soft chuckle, reaching in his jacket pocket for a cigar and lighting it against the fire. "You are stubborn, Captain."

Murdock half-smiled. "We're alike, you know. We both have one-way minds. Once we make a choice, there's no changing it."

Hannibal looked down at him, his eyebrows raised. "You read my mind."

"Kinda like...what it's like having a father, right? Like, we're your sons. You often feel like a father to us, and the three of us didn't have fathers." Murdock clarified in a questioning tone, turning his face towards Hannibal and shrugging. Hannibal smiled, nodding. "Just like that."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: And this chapter, is in the first story too, though this is longer. So is this a good idea? By the way, this is NOT a slash. **

Face stirred to quiet whispers, and some kind of annoying bug buzzing around his face. He scrunched his face up, whacking at the bug with his hand and shifting around. The first thing he noticed was he was laying on the hard ground, dirt stuck to his cheek.

When Face opened his eyes, he squinted through the sunlight and saw Hannibal and Murdock leaning against the tree, talking in low voices about something Face couldn't quite make out. Murdock was using his hands to describe something and Hannibal laughed softly, even his eyes were smiling. Face knew that look, it was a look he'd seen many times in the orphanage. When a family found the perfect son, that wasn't ever him, and the father would smile that smile at his new son.

"I hope that was all a nightmare," A gruff voice said from the opposite end of the almost dead fire and three heads turned to B.A. "We never crashed in that jungle."

"Keep wishing, Bosco. But I hate to tell ya, you aren't dreaming." Face said, his voice husky with sleep.

B.A. groaned and Hannibal tossed his finished cigar into the fire. "Sleep well, boys?"

They both nodded once, sitting up and taking in the surroundings, Face stretching his arms and back until it popped. "Been up all night?" He asked.

Hannibal nodded as Murdock pulled away, sitting crossed-legged and running his fingers around the dirt and grass. "Had to keep watch. But I had a little company."

There was a thoughtful silence, followed by B.A. grunting angrily. He was glaring across the fire at Murdock and the pilot looked up, meeting the bigger man's eyes. He cringed, feeling a sudden weakness washing over him. Face immediately bent forwards as Murdock swayed and fell forwards. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Murdock shook his head, his vision swimming. "I'm just...tired..." He waved it off with his hand, lifting his eyes. "Out of you three, I shouldn't be the first priority. We...we need a way out of here. If you could build anything with wings, I can fly it."

At the words, B.A. growled. "Yeah because you're in such good condition to be flyin' right now."

Murdock tilted his head. "I doubt you'll get something scraped up right _now_."

"You dissin' my building abilities?"

"Both of you, that's enough!" Hannibal snapped, reaching for another cigar. "We will figure a way out. We always do, we're the A-Team after all."

Face snorted and B.A. sank back, his eyes locked in a glare-down with Murdock. Hannibal nodded once to Face and they both rose to their feet. The other two all but ignored them as they crept around the other side of the plane. Face leaned against it, crossing his arms. "He's not looking so good, boss."

Hannibal, knowing who he meant, nodded in agreement. "I felt his forehead while you were sleeping. He's running a low grade fever. If I had to guess, I would say it was from his face burns. Something must've gotten in somewhere."

Face blew out a gust of air. "He shouldn't move around too much then."

Hannibal nodded again, chewing on the end of his cigar and staring off into the jungle. "I'm hoping you remember your survival training, Face."

Face thought, then nodded once. Hannibal half-smiled and leaned in a little closer. "I want you and B.A. to get some food, whatever you can. Fish, any animals. Don't pick up any plants, but if you think it's safe, you're ninety-nine point five percent sure, then at least bring it back, we can all decide together." He explained.

"What about you?" Face asked.

Hannibal shrugged. "I'll get more firewood. Search the area for any materials that may be useful, and keep an eye on Murdock. I want him down all day, he'll only get worse if I send him out with you."

They came back around the plane, B.A. and Murdock were now staring at the spot where the fire had been. B. a sour look, his face all scrunched up as if he smelled something really bad. Murdock on the other hand, looked like he was on the verge of throwing up then passing out. That worried Face and Hannibal.

As they took their seats again, Hannibal went over the day's plan. "And Murdock, if I catch you up, it's your ass." Hannibal raised his eyebrows jokingly, daring the pilot to object.

Murdock nodded drowsily, trying desperately to keep his eyes open. As B.A. and Face began to set out down the hill, Murdock grabbed B.A.'s pants as he walked by, halting him.

"What?" He growled.

"You guys...be safe...please?" Murdock's voice sounded like he was pleading and Face swallowed the lump in his throat, smiling and nodding when Murdock looked his way. He got even more concerned when he realized Murdock's eyes were looking _past_ him, but still intent on Face. B.A. seemed to notice and nudged Murdock with his foot. "Yeah, we'll be fine, fool."

And a few minutes after they had disappeared behind the big hill, Hannibal turned his back to retrieve a few sticks behind him when he heard the sounds of upchucking and whirled around, trying to tell himself Murdock would be alright.

* * *

"Ever fished before?" Face asked B.A. as he peered into the water. B.A. shook his head, his jaw jutting out as he thought over this. "Got any idea?"

Face mouthed 'No' and rolled his eyes up to the blue sky, wiping the sweat off his forehead. It was really muggy.

"Let's wait for some to swim up and reach in, grab them, and toss them onto the ground." Face finally said, looking proud at his idea.

B.A., however, stared at him with a scowl. "I don't think so."

"Alright! Let's...find a squirrel or something." Face turned and started walking off, B.A. following slowly, mostly because he didn't want the conman to get lost.

"I don't think there's any squirrels around here." He called up to Face, but Face wasn't listening. He had completely disappeared from B.A.'s sight, and picking up his pace now, Bosco threw back some branches and brambles, sighing with relief when he saw Face sitting on a rock.

"He's going to be okay. It's just a fever. Nothing too severe." He was muttering to the dirt when B.A. knelt down beside him. The bigger man put a hand on Face's shoulder, squeezing some. "Yeah, he's gonna be fine. Murdock's always fine, the crazy fool."

Face turned and looked at him, his eyes wide. "He needs medical attention right now. He'll...get worse if we let it continue without help."

B.A. nodded absently, seeing the fear in Face's eyes. That made him worry now, too. Face was always real good at masking his emotions, that's why he was _Face_. It hadn't taken much, just a fever and Murdock combined will make Face flip his lid with worry.

That's when it occurred to B.A. how close Face and Murdock are, how much like brothers they are. They'd do anything, risk their lives just to save one another. And as far as they could tell, Murdock was getting worse. To Face, it was like watching his brother die slowly and painfully, he didn't want Murdock to be in pain. Both mentally and physically, from the memories of his previous crash and his burns, leading to an infection, leading to illness.

"You're really close, ain't ya? You really care 'bout the fool?" B.A. inquired quietly.

Face was frozen for a moment, then nodded. "A lot. He's my brother, I can tell him anything. I just worry sometimes...I think I'll loose him for good and...then what?"

B.A. thought over these words. "I dunno. He really does bring spirit with him. He may be annoying to death...but he is always happy. Smilin' that crazy man smile." B.A. snorted.

Face half-smiled, trying not to let his eyes get watery. He needed to be strong, especially in front of B.A., even though he knew B.A. wouldn't judge him if he did shed a few tears, he still didn't want that to happen. "You're right. He's going to be fine...I hope." Face's voice dropped a few notches, catching in his throat on the last two words.

B.A. caught this and patted Face's back, helping him to his feet. "Just hope he hasn't puked yet."

**Crash site**

Hannibal rubbed circles on the back of the puking pilot, who was doubled over. It began to smell and when Murdock finally lifted his pale face, Hannibal asked if he needed anything.

Murdock nodded, allowing Hannibal to lay him back against the plane. "Face..."

Hannibal nodded, not having the slightest clue where Face and B.A. had gone off to and how long they'd be gone.

"Face will be back soon..." He assured Murdock, getting to his feet and going to the top of the hill, peering down, searching the area. There was no sign of either man.

"I feel dizzy." Murdock got out before another round of throw up cut him off. Hannibal dove forwards, catching Murdock and holding his shoulders, wishing he had so much as a bowl to put under Murdock. As soon as he was finished, Hannibal backed away, speaking up. "I'm going to just run down the hill and gather some water. I don't know if it's safe, but I'll check. Do not move, shout if you need something." Hannibal was hesitant about leaving Murdock alone, but promised himself it'd only be a minute at most. As he retreated down the hill, he heard conversation and footsteps. Afterwards, B.A. and Face crashed into the area, spotting Hannibal and rushing over.

"I'm going to try some water, boil it over the fire. Catch anything?" Hannibal was saying as he squatted to scoop some water into the jug.

The both shook their heads and Face spoke up. "How's Murdock?"

Hannibal saw the same fear in his eyes that B.A. had seen earlier and he sighed, shaking his head. "He's been throwing up. I wish I could tell what he's got. And he's asking for you, Face."

That was all Face needed before he was sprinting up the hill.

B.A. watched him go, turning back to Hannibal. "He's freakin' out, man. If Murdock gets any worse, we'll have two problems on our hands."

Hannibal straightened up. "I know. And I think we might."

Face nearly tripped as he sprinted up the hill, using his hands to push his body along at the top and threw himself down next to Murdock. The pilot was shivering, even though it was really hot, and he was too pale. His eyes were bloodshot, his face weary and expressionless.

Face wrapped his arms around Murdock, not caring if he was contagious or not. "Hey buddy, I'm here. Don't worry."

Murdock looked over at him, trying to smile. "Faceman. Nice to see ya."

"Shh, just rest." Face helped Murdock into a laying position and rested his head on Murdock's.

To the side, he could hear Hannibal and B.A. approaching. Hesitantly, Face lifted his hand to Murdock's forehead and snapped it back quickly; his forehead was burning hotter than Face had felt before.

"Problem?" Murdock murmured, his eyes closed. Face sighed, grimacing. "You've got a fever..."

Murdock sniffed. "Bad?"

"Kinda."

Someone came up from behind and a jacket was draped over Murdock's shaking shoulders. B.A. made sure the jacket was positioned just right and came around to the other side of Murdock. Murdock cracked an eye open and glanced at B.A., a tiny smile barely visible on his lips.

"You do care. Don't ya, sweetheart?" He went on in a mocking voice, ignoring B.A.'s threatening glare. "Alrigh' fool. Shut your mouth up and get some sleep. You're gonn' need it."

Face met eyes with B.A. over Murdock's shaggy head and they held eachother's until Murdock shifted around. They were both thinking the same thing. Unless they got Murdock help, he'll only get worse and after that...Face shuddered.

"We gotta save him." B.A. muttered as soon as he was positive Murdock was out. Face nodded in agreement. "He's a lot worse than I'd thought." Face sighed then. "It should be me."

"Why?" B.A. asked, his brow mashing together.

Face shrugged, staring blankly at the trees. "Murdock shouldn't have to go through this. He's been through enough. It just...makes me sad to see him suffering more than he needs to."

B.A. was taking this in and Hannibal appeared in front of them, holding a rifle. No doubt his. Face eyed it and B.A. asked what Hannibal was up to now.

"I'll get us something to eat. Stay here." Hannibal made off, B.A. and Face exchanging glances. "I'll go with him, you stay with the fool." Bosco decided, Face nodding once and he got to his feet, hurrying to catch up with their CO and Face leaned back, hoping he didn't catch anything from Murdock, and turned to watch the trees as they stood tall and proud.

Then Murdock made a whimpering noise and rolled off Face, his eyes wide and his breathing labored. Face reacted immediately, grabbing the nearest stick and crouching, sweeping the area with his eyes.

"No, Face. I'm...fine. I had a...nightmare..." Murdock assured him weakly, falling back. Face was going to drop his stick when Murdock turned a green color in the face and Face dove forwards to lean Murdock over and when the ripe smell of puke wafted up to Face, he gagged.

* * *

Hannibal and B.A. paused by a tree, Hannibal running his hand along his forehead. The jungle had gotten even hotter.

"What is it? Like, a hundred and five?" B.A. asked in a breathy tone.

Hannibal chuckled and looked his rifle over. "Probably. The heat's not good for Murdock, though."

B.A. didn't reply and the two men started along again, their eyes scanning opposite directions for anything that was moving and was edible. Out of nothing else, B.A. almost ripped the gun away and shot at a small monkey thing that had darted by, only Hannibal got it back, stating that because of the size of the monkey thing and the bullet size, it would most likely explode instead.

That made B.A. grunt, irritated, and now they trudged along, Hannibal's sleepless night already catching up with him, which surprised him.

"I don't like this heat," He stated. "There's something off."

"Man, it's the Amazon. There's a lot of things off 'bout this place." B.A. muttered, stepping over a hollow log.

They were quiet until Hannibal had a thought. "Ever seen _Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_?"

B.A. glanced sideways at him and slowly nodded, his eyes sweeping over the jungle floor. Hannibal half-smiled and raised his right eyebrow. "Those man eating ants, huh? Makes you wonder..."

"Aww man, Hannibal!" B.A. groaned. "You gotta be sayin' things like that _now_?"

"Better me than Murdock. Oh and uh, perhaps we shouldn't say that around him," Hannibal checked his rifle over again for the fifth time and ran his index finger along the barrel. "He's going to be fine."

B.A. knew Hannibal wasn't sure, he was trying to assure himself, but they could both see through the words. "If he's layin' on Face..."

"Face could contract whatever he's got," Hannibal finished the statement, meeting eyes with B.A. warily. "Who knows? We need a _Doctor_."

"Don't anyone live in this jungle?"

Hannibal shrugged, almost sure there was someone at least. But who knew how far off and what kind of people they were.

"Perhaps."

B.A. opened his mouth to ask, but froze when a low growl rumbled through the jungle and both men spun around, heads swiveling to find the source of the growl. They got their answer when a huge black panther slowly emerged from the shadows, his back arched and his extremely sharp teeth bared. B.A. cussed under his breath and Hannibal felt his finger twitching on the trigger.

"That's a big cat." He murmured, him and B.A. beginning to take slow, small steps backwards. The panther growled again, it's eyes locked on Hannibal and he slowly extended his arm, pushing the gun into B.A.'s hand and the panther sprung.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay now we're all caught up! NOW things are going to change! **

"Did you hear something?" Murdock's words slurred together as he lifted his head off Face's shoulder and peered into the thick jungle. Face tilted his head, having also heard the gunshot and the shouts.

"Yeah, I heard it." He confirmed, narrowing his eyes.

Murdock coughed and tried to sit up. "Think...think somone's hurt?"

Face shrugged, turning his head to look at Murdock. He blinked in shock, as he noticed how the pilot's color wasn't as bad as before. "Are you feeling any better?"

Murdock opened his mouth a little and stared up at Face. "Facey, you're bleeding."

Face reared back a little, confused, and Murdock pointed to his forehead. Face reached up and felt his own, bringing his fingers back. They were clean. Again, he rubbed his hands along his whole head and there was no trace of any blood.

"No, I'm not," He said.

But Murdock made an irritated sound in his throat. "Yes! You are! It's gonna get infected if you don't clean it and cover it!"

A little more worried, Face slowly got to his feet, keeping his eyes on Murdock and stepped into the plane, heading into the tiny bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. Nothing was wrong, bleeding, broken.

As he went back out, Murdock began kicking at the ground, his shoes sending up clouds of dirt and Face saw that he was panicking.

"Face! Face, get the bugs off me!" He shouted when he spotted Face watching him worriedly. The conman came closer and saw no bugs. Now he was really concerned.

"Murdock, there's no bugs. I think you're-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP! I don't care what's in those pills, I ain't takin' them!" The pilot suddenly cried, pulling back and giving Face a hard shove.

"Murdock! What's your problem?" Face dove back to Murdock, but he flailed around, kicking at Face when he got near him. Face's heart picked up its pace as he began to panic. Something was very, _very_ wrong and Face just wished the other two would show up real soon.

Now Murdock was staggering to his feet, his jacket smeared with mud. His red hat was on the ground by the fire and his hair was wild, dirty. His cargo pants were torn at the knees. To Face, he looked like a real savage.

And he was acting like one.

"Murdock...please...just listen." He tried to reason, lifting his hands up in a peace gesture. Murdock continued to glare at him, his eyes narrowing furiously.

"You're sick. It's me...Face...I'm not a doctor, and I'm not going to give you any pills."

"Liar!" Murdock spat, his eyes looking right past Face's head by an inch at most and Face could tell.

He sighed, wishing he could make Murdock see reality again. "Please. Please, just trust me."

"Go to hell." Murdock's voice was low and Face's eyebrows shot up. "Are you-"

"We're eatin' panther tonight, boys!" A loud voice came suddenly from the hill and Hannibal and B.A. appeared, B.A. toting the large panther across his shoulders. They looked thrilled, but froze when they saw the current scene.

"Face...is he-"

A loud _thump_ made three heads snap to the side, Murdock was no longer standing there and Face rushed to the end of the hill in time to see the pilot's unconscious body tumbling down the big hill.

Swearing, Face darted down the hill after him.

Murdock landed roughly into a big puddle of mud and most likely bugs. His eyes shot open and he lifted his face out of the mud in time to see Face skidding to a halt beside him, crouching down. "Murdock! Are you alright?"

"Face...how'd I...what happened?" Murdock spit the nasty mud out of his mouth and coughed, trying to sit up. Face grabbed his muddy shoulders and helped him. The pilot rubbed his eyes, leaving new smear marks on his face and sniffed.

"I had this dream...I was in the mental hospital and the doctor was forcing me to take this blue pill, only he kept calling himself 'Face' and he sounded like ya, too." Murdock muttered, the tumble already making his head spin and his stomach churn uneasily. He crossed his arm across it and leaned forwards some.

Face bit down on his lip and rubbed Murdock's back. "I uh...Murdock..." He sighed. "You were sleep-talking. And sleepwalking. You were standing and yelling at me...then you fell down that hill."

Murdock's eyes grew wide and he stared at Face, his jaw hanging slack. "No. No way. I stopped sleepwalking when I fell down the stairs in my aunt's house when I was sixteen."

That made Face curious. "You mean," He asked, completely forgetting everything else. "That you used to sleepwalk?"

Murdock shrugged, nodding, covering his stomach again.

"Huh."

"I started after my mom died...according to my grandma, I used to wander the house at night talking to my mom, begging her to come back...then I'd wake up in various places. Once it was outside in the rosebushes."

_Murdock shouldn't have to go through this. He's been through enough. It just...makes me sad to see him suffering more than he needs to. _Face's previous words to B.A. caught back up with him and he sniffed, gaining Murdock's attention.

"You cryin', Faceyman?" He asked, his words slurring together already.

Face nodded quickly, half-smiling at Murdock, though it was forced and Murdock could tell. "I us...I wanna get out of this mud, now." He told Face, looking down and smacking a weird, flying bug off his arm.

Face agreed. "Yeah, who knows what kinds of things are living in this. C'mon."

He helped Murdock to his feet and supported his weight up the hill, first seeing Hannibal and B.A.'s wary looks, then the dead panther B.A. was skinning. Murdock opened his eyes wider and caught sight of the panther, automatically whirling around and vomiting into the bushes.

"He's fine...he was sleepwalking." Face assured the other two, his voice faltering, however, on first two words. Murdock was no longer at his side, Face felt him going to be by the plane's wing.

"Should we clean him up?" Face offered, but Murdock had already dropped to the ground, fast asleep. Hannibal shook his head. "When he wakes up. Let him rest now."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, so here on out, things are gonna be a little different. But I promise a good fight scene between any of the members and a wild cat:) **

**Now, I'm not admitting defeat on Lost I'm just admitting that life happens, and sometimes we just need to start over. I have quite a few friends that are very good at drawing and it takes them a few times to get it right. Like writing a story. **

**Okay, enough babbling! Let me know your thoughts!  
**

Murdock sat huddled in Hannibal's jacket against a tree near the river where Face and B.A. were scrubbing Murdock's muddy clothes. The Captain had already washed himself the best he could and was given the jacket to provide some cover even though it was only the four men. He had the jacket laying across his lap, drawing absently in the dirt with his index finger. He listened to the soft conversation between B.A. and Face as they finished up with the scrubbing and started wringing out Murdock's clothes. Now they were soaked, their clothes sticking to their arms and legs, but they did not seem to mind.

Behind Murdock, Hannibal was descending the hill, a cigar in his mouth. He nodded once to Murdock, who shot Hannibal a quick half-smile. The man stopped at the edge of the water beside the other two. "Done?"

B.A. nodded. "The clothes, and the pilot, are clean." He finished wringing out the blue T-shirt and slapped it against his leg to straighten it out. Face was doing the same, only slower, his expression worried. "Boss, I'm kinda worried. He doesn't look too good," The three of them snuck quick glances at the pilot drawing in the dirt, his eyes discreetly watching them.

"Should we let these dry?" B.A. asked, holding up the shirt. Hannibal shook his head. "I don't think he wants to sit there with only that jacket all day. You two are wet, he can join you." He said.

Face tilted his head. "Shouldn't he be in warm, _dry_ clothes?"

"Face," Hannibal put his hand on Face's shoulder. "It'll be fine."

When they handed Murdock back his clothes, he was helped to his feet by B.A.. Hannibal said to the other two, "A moment?"

They agreed, glancing at Murdock before making their trip up the hill to the plane and leaving the Colonel and pilot alone. Hannibal turned to the side to give Murdock some privacy as he dropped the jacket and started with his damp boxers. "Captain, how's the stomach?"

Murdock shrugged, stepping into his pants. "Could be worse, I guess." He muttered.

"If there's anything else bothering you, you know you can tell us." Hannibal told him as he ran a hand through his white hair and squinted up at the blue sky. There was a tense silence as Murdock zipped his pants and stopped to peer at his CO. "I'm sure you will be getting better soon, but we need to know if something else is wrong," Continued Hannibal, not noticing Murdock staring at him. "You're running a fever, according to Face. But if you haven't vomited in the last hour, then that's a good sign..."

As no other sounds were made, Hannibal turned to Murdock, his eyebrows knitting together. "Something wrong?"

Murdock's narrowed eyes gave no answer to his strange silence. They bore deep into Hannibal's, sharp, unblinking and focused. The intensity made Hannibal shift his weight and clear his throat. "I think you need to lie down. Why don't you put your shirt on and we can get you back to the plane, sound good?" He tried to sound normal but sensed the wary edge to his tone when he said slowly, "Murdock?"

The Captain blinked. He shook his head roughly, squeezing his eyes shut then reopening them, stooping to retrieve his shirt. Hannibal watched this gaping. "Murdock, are you alright?" He asked and Murdock jumped a little, as if just realizing the Colonel was there. He got his shirt on and faced Hannibal.

"I'm fine. Aside from the puking and fever," He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "You look like you've just seen a ghost, Colonel."

Hannibal tried to look calm and shook his head. "Are you sure you're fine? I'm not sure what that was all about."

"What was about what?" His voice had a breathy edge to it as if he had just done laps around the jungle.

"You, uh...you just kind of, blanked out. Staring like you've never seen me before. Or something like that, I'm not sure." Hannibal took a step back, gesturing to the hill. "Anyways. You outta go lay down, come on, Captain. I'm sure it's nothing too serious."

As Murdock slowly walked to the hill and Hannibal, the older man took a step back to match Murdock's pace. He was trying to keep a distance, yet make it appear as if he was doing no such thing. Now Hannibal wasn't scared, but he was a little wary. It wasn't long before they were at the plane and B.A. looked up from the fire he was poking at. Face had crawled up onto the plane and was now perched on the wing of the plane, an airplane safety manual in his hands.

He chuckled a little when Hannibal came near him. "Did you get in another tangle with a panther?" He teased. Hannibal shot him a look. "Excuse me?"

"You look a little...spooked..." Face's tone went up in confusion and B.A. was edging closer to listen.

Hannibal swallowed, eyeing Murdock as he dropped onto a spot of soft grass near the fire and hopefully out of earshot. When his eyes shut, Hannibal turned back to Face, and B.A. as he leaned against the engine.

"Something is wrong." He began in a low voice. And he told the two about how Murdock was staring at him, completely unresponsive. "He was..._glaring_ at me as if I was an enemy." The Colonel shook his head.

"Or a Doctor," B.A. murmured. They looked over at him, Face nodding gradually. "Like his dream...Hey, Hannibal, I just had a thought." The younger man jabbed the air with his index finger, suddenly high strung.

Hannibal folded his arms and leaned against the plane, looking up at Face, nodding to let him know to continue.

"Murdock had a similar crash, in a forest. The crash killed all of the passengers and his Co-Pilot. I don't remember his name, but I guess they were friends. According to the guys that went in to find the survivors, he stumbled around trying to get the dead passengers to wake up. Refused to believe they were dead." He shook his head, frowning. "He felt responsible for their death. Of those innocent people, and of his Co-Pilot."

"Flashbacks?" B.A. wondered, his forehead creasing as he too frowned. Face shrugged. "It's very likely."

Hannibal made rotating motions with his hand as he spoke. "Could this cause any sort of damage?"

"We can't be sure. It's gotta be hard for him." Face looked past Hannibal suddenly, his expression sorry. B.A. and Hannibal followed his eyes, turning around to see the man of topic scooting closer to the fire and extending his right arm. They were like statues, not even moving when the very edges of the flicking fire caressed Murdock's fingertips. He never made a sound, his eyes as blank as they had been down by the river. As soon as his hand went deeper, B.A. pushed away from the engine and had Murdock's wrist in his large hand, pulling it back to safety.

The pilot's head turned slowly up to see who had saved his hand and his eyes leaned an inch away from B.A.'s head. "Something wrong?" He asked in a mono tone.

Disbelief dances across the big man's features before he got his expression set. "Ya shouldn't be touchin' fire. It's...not really a safe thing to do." He looked worriedly at Hannibal, who for once did not have his fifty cents to add in.

"I wasn't touching it." Murdock's eyes narrowed. "Let me go."

Perhaps it was only the surprise, but Murdock's wrist was released. It dropped into his lap, his fingertips black and the nails appearing extremely loose. But though he let his arm free, B.A. never moved away, staring down at Murdock with a deep frown, his eyebrows pushed together so tightly it appeared as if it was only one unibrow.

"Can we clean his fingers?" Face wanted to know, finally breaking his gaze to look down at his CO. "Not with that river water." Hannibal told him. He never looked up at Face, slowly leaving the plane to go crouch beside the pilot. "Captain?"

Murdock surprised him even more by snapping his head around to peer into Hannibal's eyes, completely focused. "Yes sir?"

"Uh. Are your fingers hurting?"

And as Murdock held his right hand up, moving his fingers around, his mouth formed a straight line. "Eh, sorta. Hey, that's odd," He held them out, examining them with shock. "When'd _that_ happen?" When he turned his big eyes on Hannibal, the older man could not mask his horror in time and Murdock gave him a knowing look. "Oh, must've been bad, then. It you don't wanna talk about it right now, there's always later. And later after that. Man, we can discuss it in the afterlife! I don't care." And he gave the Colonel a passive smile, reaching out to pat his shoulder. As soon as he pulled his hand away, B.A. noticed the black stains left on his Boss' light brown jacket.

Somewhere in this strange moment, a heard of angry clouds has begun rolling in, bringing the threat of thunder and heavy rain with them. It was the roar of the distant thunder that seemed to reawaken the team. B.A. shook his head, spinning on his heel and shuffling away, scratching the back of his head. Murdock's smile faded. Hannibal slowly rose up. And Face threw the manual off the plane, scooting to the edge of the wing and hopping down.

"Now what?" The question had come from Face's mouth, but each of the men were thinking the same thing. Hannibal sighed, throwing his gaze downwards and digging the heel of his shoe into the dirt. "I don't know, Face. I just, don't know."

"You must have some idea in that idea filled head of yours," Face placed his hands on his hips, bracing himself for the downpour that was getting ready to strike. And he didn't have to wait long. "Well for once, I don't. Why don't you go put on your thinking cap and figure something out." As soon as Hannibal had finished speaking, the rain came.

Face's shoulders hunched, his body instantly soaked through his clothes. B.A. swore loudly as he kicked a rock that had originally been in the fire circle down the hill.

"Perfect!" Face shouted into the rain. "It was possible for things to get worse, and they did!" As he yelled, rain was spit out of his mouth.

"I will take any great idea you have!" Hannibal chided before waving his hands and heading for the door of the plane. Face followed a few steps. "Come on! Offer something!"

"Face!" Hannibal swung around and pointed a finger at Face, who had come up behind him. "I told you: I have nothing, I need to get some rest. Sometimes we have to just be patient and hope for something to pop up." He had one hand on the plane door but did not push it open.

Face groaned, holding his arms out to the side. "Well in an attempt to come up with an idea, could you possible knit me some dry clothes? A blanket?"

Even B.A. knew better than to argue Hannibal when he got that look on his weathered face. The look that clearly said, 'I'm-In-Charge, You're-Not-So-Listen' but Face's whining persisted. "What are you just going to lock yourself inside and mope until you fall asleep? Hannibal, there's a slight problem. What was it? Oh yeah...we're stuck in the middle of the friggin' Amazon Jungle!" His voice rose shrilly. "We have no food, no supplies! No way to contact _anyone_! It's storming like all hell, there's all kinds of man-eating beats surrounding us!" He stepped closer, sticking Hannibal in the chest with his finger. "Don't you tell me you don't have a plan."

In the now very tense silence, Murdock was cringing, his hands over his ears. B.A. was chewing on his bottom lip, his eyes wide and for once in a stunned silence.

"Lieutenant," Hannibal's voice was strangely quiet, and they all knew that meant nothing good. "I will not have you speaking to me in that tone. You will change your attitude-"

"My attitude? Look around you and tell me you can't have some sort of attitude!" Face cut across, glaring at Hannibal.

It wasn't Hannibal's voice that came through the rain next, but the small and scared voice of Murdock. "Please stop yelling, Face. We all want to get out of here as bad as you, but it doesn't happen like that."

And Face whriled around, his eyes wild with fury. "You shut up! We wouldn't be in this God forsaken jungle if it wasn't for _you_!"

Hannibal's hand came down on Face's upper arm and he was yanking him real close, so they were eye-to-eye. Behind them Murdock was shaking, hugging his knees to his chest with a bone-crushing strength. B.A. had knelt down beside him, rubbing his back, not knowing exactly what to do.

"Go." Hannibal growled.

Face sputtered before asking, "Go? And where am I supposed to go?"

But Hannibal only tightened his grip, making Face grind his teeth together. "Just go." And he released Face, who turned without another word. Hannibal had disappeared into the plane, slamming the door behind him. Murdock had buried his face in his knees, his shoulders jerking up and down in the slightest movement. B.A. was the only one whose eyes followed Face as he stomped to the hill and retreated down it with as much force as the storm above them.

It was some time later when Hannibal slowly opened the door, his eyes landing on B.A. as he sat still rubbing circles around Murdock's back. The pilot finally peeked up and when Hannibal motioned inside the plane, B.A. helped Murdock to his feet, getting him to the plane. And as he followed in, feeling Hannibal lightly squeeze his shoulder, he was glad to be in the plane out of the rain, for once.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Now, this story, after this chapter, is going to be getting a lot more intense, I promise!**

The rain was slowing down. The thunder was now a slight grumble in the sky, the lightning gone altogether. It had been a forceful but short storm. At least that's what B.A. noticed, however some storms were not quite over. The three still-damp men had taken their own rows, B.A. in the far back on the right side, sitting straight as he watched out the windows. Murdock was on the right as well, but down in the very front where neither of the other two could see him. He had pushed up the arm rests of that row and was laying across the seats, his legs hung off the end of the aisle seat. And Hannibal was on the left side, directly in the middle. He had the tray from the seat in front of him down, his pack of cigars set on the white surface.

No one was speaking, however each of the men couldn't help one thought that crossed their separate minds: Where did Face go?

If had been three hours since he had taken his leave by Hannibal's command and no one had seen hide nor hair of him since. B.A. was concerned, knowing the conman has he did and knowing the possibility of Face undergoing a panic attack as he wandered lost and alone was highly possible.

Though he was royally pissed and his face clearly showed it, Hannibal was also worried, in the back of his mind. Perhaps only because they would have no way of calling him on a radio. He had been acting rashly and sent the young man off without a second thought. But it was too late now and Face had been acting like a real spoiled brat. He never was, but sometimes had that swing to him.

And so the three team members said nothing, went nowhere. B.A. was ninety percent certain Murdock had fallen asleep and Hannibal was not going to surface from the deep labyrinth of his mind. Sometimes B.A. wondered if he was the only normal one in the group.

There was a shuffling and by the time B.A. pulled himself around to see who was coming back to life, Murdock was already coming down the aisle towards him. He prepared for a conversation when the pilot completely ignored him and slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

Two minutes passed, Hannibal was frozen and B.A. had returned to watching the rain drops race down the window. There was noises coming from the bathroom, like something banging around on the counter. He ignored it at first, figuring Murdock was trying to get the sink to work.

The idea of fresh water was what made B.A. heave himself up off the seat and trudge to the bathroom door, knocking lightly. He must have scared Murdock because there was a fast thumping sound that sounded like something being dropped. There was a scrambling and finally the door was wrenched open. B.A. stared into the green eyes that appeared in the crack.

"What're ya doin' in there?" He wanted to know.

Murdock gave him a shrug. "Peeing. Can't a guy pee in peace, even in a jungle?"

The bigger man folded his arms over his chest. "Didn't sound like you were peein'. Sounded like you were slammin' stuff 'round in here." As an afterthought, he added, "Is that sink workin'?

The pilot shook his head quickly. "No it's not. You can go back now." They locked eyes and Murdock tried not to flinch as B.A.'s stare hardened and he frowned. "Murdock..." His voice was low.

"Bosco. I'm fine. Go...sleep or something."

As he tried to shut the door, B.A.'s muscled arm came out and hit against the door, knocking it wide open. With his other hand, he knocked Murdock back against the wall and stepped into the tiny bathroom that could barely hold both men.

On the sink was a pocket knife which, to B.A.'s relief, had a clean blade. B.A. felt his eyes growing huge as he slowly turned to glare accusingly at Murdock. He was backed against the door, his face was as innocent as he could manage, his eyes similar to a lost puppy's.

"You...you were going to...Murdock!" As his name was shouted, Murdock shrank back, flinching. "It's not like I actually did anything!" He defended himself. B.A. held a hand in the air. "You stupid fool! You were gonna kill yourself!"

Murdock shoved his jacket sleeves up and waved his hands around in B.A.'s face. "But I didn't!"

He grabbed the pilot's wrists and held them in a death grip. "If you eva pull a stunt like this one, then I can promise you will die...by me!" He threw Murdock's hands down, snatched the knife up and pushed past him to get back to his seat. Hannibal had seemed to surface back to the world of the living and was on the edge of his seat, ready to jump up if there was any more trouble. He gave B.A. a questioning look.

As he sat down, the man told him what just happened. "Damn fool was gonna kill himself with this." He held up the knife. Hannibal sighed, looking back at Murdock as he slunk out of the bathroom with a scowl.

"B.A. called me stupid." He grumbled, stopping beside Hannibal. "What you were attempting to do was stupid, Captain." The Colonel pointed out.

Murdock threw his arms out. "Blaaah!" And he stuck his tongue out before stomping down the aisle and throwing himself back onto his row of seats. However Hannibal was not through talking. He shook his head and rose to take the aisle in a few paces and sat in the row beside Murdock's.

"Murdock, were you trying to kill yourself?" His voice was soft.

The pilot rolled onto his side, ignoring him. B.A. knew if it had been Face, or himself, they would already be getting it. "Captain I am speaking to you. You will answer me."

"I don't want to talk right now." Murdock mumbled as he glare at the wall in front of him, his hand under his head as a pillow.

Hannibal leaned forward and tilted his body to the side to see the man's face. "I think you should tell me what you were attempting in there,"

Silence. Hannibal reached out and gave Murdock's ankle a shake. Like an annoyed child, Murdock kicked that leg, barely missing Hannibal's arm. B.A. stood back, waiting for some form of argument. "Do you want to be in more trouble than you already are?" Hannibal's voice was growing harder.

After a seemingly long mental battle, Murdock groaned and lifted his head to see the older man. "Maybe if I was dead, Face would be happier. Since he wants to blame me for _everything_!" Hannibal nodded and started to speak but Murdock sat up straighter and charged on. "It wasn't _my_ fault the plane crapped out and decided to explode! Do you think I made it happen? No! Face is a rotten, spoiled, doesn't care about anyone except himself kind of person. I must've figured you two felt the same way. Since you always do what that son of a bitch wants!" He sucked in a deep breath and Hannibal quickly took advantage of his break.

"You're right, Face's behavior was unacceptable. It was _not_ your fault, we know that. Face, just needed someone that was not him to blame, and since you were flying, he chose you. He was mad at _me_ and you're speaking out caused him to turn and lash out at you as well." He shrugged. "Face needed, someone to feel the same way he was feeling. And the thing to do with Face, is to just let him go rant it off somewhere else. I honestly don't know where he went, and I'm starting to think that perhaps that was not the best idea...but it's happened."

B.A. had been edging closer and was now sitting in the row behind Hannibal, watching Murdock. The pilot swung his legs off the row and was sitting up straight, his eyes downcast to the floor. "Should we go look for him?"

Hannibal shook his head. "He'll be back. Pretty soon he'll be scared, hungry, and tired of being soaked."

And within minutes, the three men had resumed their positions from before Murdock's bathroom trip, only this time, their eyes were shut in sleep.

* * *

Why he was cold, Face could not understand. He hugged himself tighter, pulling his legs up closer to his body. In front of him the river was a raging current, threatening to carry anything that got too close away. The tree that he was leaning against was rough, sticking uncomfortably into his back. He was cold, hungry, tired, lonely.

"Stupid Hannibal," He grumbled to himself. "Not having a stupid plan. Stupid Murdock for crashing the plane. Stupid B.A. for..." He paused, not knowing what B.A. had done yet to earn the title. "...For...being so grumpy..."

There was a clap of thunder and Face jumped against his will, not wanting to be scared by a simply thunder storm. "Alright! I'm in torture, are you happy?" He shouted up to the sky, holding his hands out, "You really hate me, don't you! Just don't want me to live a decent life!"

A stray stick fell out of the tree above him and landed on his head. "What?" He snatched it off the top of his wet head and chucked it into the river. It was washed away immediately.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything bad thing I've ever done! Just...just stop punishing me." His eyes were getting blurry and when he realized it wasn't the rain water, he let out a frustrated shout. "I'm not sensitive, I don't cry!"

"No...apparently I do," He let a few tears fall before rubbing his eyes with his already wet fists. "I don't know myself. I don't let anyone else no me...I'm just...a lost soul." The thought made him cry more and he smacked his head. "Dammit, Peck! Don't talk to yourself! You're slowly turning into a second Murdock..."

He rapidly shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "Get a grip! You need to get back to the team...they need you...you need to apologize for being a jerk." Then he nodded, taking in a deep breath, accidentally inhaling some rain.

As soon as he was done coughing his lungs out, he slowly got to his feet and spun in a circle, trying to find the way back. "Uh oh...I don't remember, how to...get back..." He was saying to himself, slicking his hair back. Deciding to play a little hand with Lady Luck, Face turned left and started in that direction, his hands in his pockets and his head bowed a little.

But back at that tree, a small part of him was watching the rest of him go off, unaware and scared.

* * *

The door was blown open and the three men shot up, expecting something big and bad. But there was absolutely nothing and as they met in the middle of the plane, they could feel the bursts of wind that had caused the door to fly open. Murdock chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip and was the first to get to the door, stepping out of the plane and glancing around.

"Nothin'." He called back to them.

So they relaxed some and came out behind Murdock to see a sunrise over the hill. They had slept through one night, without any sign from their conman. "Any kind of breakfast?" B.A. wanted to know.

Hannibal pursed his lips, sticking his head back in the plane and shrugging. "Peanuts? Unless you can get some fish or wild cat." It was intended as a joke, but no one laughed. B.A. huffed and cracked his knuckles. "Alrigh'. I'll go get some fish. Be right back."

As he descended the hill, Murdock examined the soaked firewood. He touched it a few times with his unburnt fingers and looked off into the trees. "I don't think this is any good."

Hannibal crouched beside him. "Exactly what I was thinking. We'll have to gather more when everything dries up," He was about to offer a suggestion when they heard a distant scream. The scream was followed by a loud roar.

Hannibal and Murdock's eyes met, both wide and concerned. It had come from the opposite direction B.A. had went off in and it wasn't low enough to be his. they knew exactly who was in trouble.

"Face."

**A/N: Hi. So... a good chapter?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you reviewers! You really help me improve my writing:) And now in the words of Ace Ventura: "ALL RIGHTY THEN!"**

Hannibal skidded to a stop at the bottom of the hill, Murdock coming down fast behind him. As soon as he had stopped at his side, Hannibal turned to him. "I don't think you should be running around right now, in your condition."

"Colonel. Face is most likely getting mauled by wild cats that don't give a care for him at all. If I let only you go, there's a good chance you won't be comin' back either." He clarified in a tone that clearly did not want an argument and Hannibal hardly wasted any time doing just that. He rolled his eyes up to the sky then motioned Murdock onwards.

They hurried in the direction of the screams, fighting off hanging branches and thick bushes. Far ahead of them was fast footfalls and more sounding behind them. Murdock pulled Hannibal it a stop, holding his hand up to his ear and listening. The older man watched Murdock anxiously as his eyes narrowed and he seemed to be straining.

There was running feet moving in their direction. "I hear something," He whispered as the footsteps got closer. "Something's coming."

A wild panther crashed out of the brambles, it's eyes wild and it's teeth bared. Hannibal grabbed hold of Murdock's arm and pulled him back, almost behind him. The pilot swallowed, taking in the large cat with a hopeless look on his dirty face, his gaze darting to Hannibal and back. "Boss..."

"Do not move." He said back through his teeth, not so much as blinking. "Do not make a single sound."

For once in his life, Murdock was dead silent and his arm under Hannibal's hand was the only sign he really was still there. The panther scrutinized them, sniffing the air in front of them. It lifted its bad and turned to the side, seemingly uninterested. The two watched it start to leave, counting their lucky cards when Murdock shifted his weight and the stick under his shoe snapped.

"Murdock!" Hannibal's hand clapped against his mouth and the panther shot around, charging for the two, teeth glinting. "I'll keep it distracted, you go find B.A.!" Hannibal shouted to Murdock as they dove in opposite directions, the panther landing between them. Murdock lay on his side, rolling onto his back and bringing his arm up to block his face as the panther glared at him.

It roared at him before taking a leap. Murdock gasped, rolling forwards as the panther hit the ground where he had been only seconds before. From behind Hannibal called him back. The panther turned slowly to Murdock before lunging forwards and latching onto his pants leg.

"Captain!" Hannibal came forward with a large stick, swinging back and forth. "Not a problem yet, Colonel! He's only got my pants!" Murdock assured him, ducking as the stick grazed the air inches above his head.

The stick finally hit the panther, knocking him backwards and only succeeding in anger him even more. Murdock twisted his leg, gaping at the torn fabric of his cargo pants. He was grabbed around the shoulders and hauled to his feet, Hannibal dragging him away as the panther sprung for him once more. Hannibal, paying no attention to the ground behind him, felt his foot catch on a very large root and they both went down.

And the panther's jaws locked down on Murdock's ankle, his whole foot trapped in it's amazingly big mouth. "AAAAAHHHHH-OOOOOWWWWW!" As he kicked, the teeth in his ankle sunk down deeper. Blood was dripping onto the mossy ground, staining the panther's teeth. Hannibal had gotten back on his feet and took a running dive at the panther, knocking it over, and bringing Murdock with it.

But they kept rolling, Hannibal in an entanglement with the panther, it's mouth still locked down around Murdock's ankle, dragging him as they tumbled down the hill. "Oh ouch! Please stop! This hurts! He's gonna kill my foot!"

As soon as they hit the bottom, Hannibal slugged the panther across the face, but it would not release Murdock. He tried a different tactic, plunging his fingers into the panther's mouth and hooking them up around it's sharp teeth, prying the mouth open. It smacked out at him with it's sharp claws, catching Hannibal on the arm. He all but ignored it, getting the panther's jaws loose with each tug.

Murdock squeezed his eyes shut against the searing pain, his fingers digging deep into the earth and his free foot stomping against the ground. Another claw strike to Hannibal's side, racking down to his hip. His teeth ground together, seeing how close he was to getting the panther's mouth away from Murdock's ankle.

Then there was a gunshot.

Everything went silent. Murdock's eyes cracked open and Hannibal froze, feeling the panther slacken under him. It's jaw fell open, backing up on his belly. As it slunk backwards, Murdock's shoe slid off his foot, caught in the panther's mouth.

"Man, those panthers can always find ya, Hannibal." A low voice broke through the silence from behind the panther. B.A. was lowering his gun, four fish tied to a vine draped across his shoulder. He cocked an eyebrow and Murdock blew out a gust of air, his head dropping to see his bloodied ankle. Across the top and bottom was teeth holes, warm blood pooling and overflowing down his ankle.

"We need to get ya both back to the plane and use that first aid kit on ya." B.A. instructed, coming to help the two. As he passed the dying panther, he stooped to snatch Murdock's shoe from its mouth. Tossing it into the pilot's lap, he held out a hand that Hannibal grasped and pulled the Colonel up next to him.

Together they got Murdock up and steady, standing on either side of him as he hopped on his good foot, holding his shoe. "What about Face?" His words were followed by a hacking cough.

"Right. B.A. get him back to the plane, I'll find Face." Hannibal pulled away, making it known he was not going to be argued against. B.A. paused to hold out the gun. "Here, take it, man. Ya just might need it."

He nodded, taking the gun and checking the ammo. "Thanks, B.A."

"Yea'. And you're gonna owe me for cleanin' the fool's wounds up." He grumbled as they started back through the jungle.

* * *

He hadn't gone very far into the jungle before he saw the motionless heap of something laying on the jungle floor. Assuming it was another panther, Hannibal made to just go right by it, and he was a few feet in front of it when it moaned. A human moan.

"Face," He couldn't whirl around fast enough and when he did, he fell to his knees by the injured man. His heart seemed to be running a marathon as he reached out to place his rough hand on Face's shoulder. His eyes were closed, lips parted and breathing shallow. Along his neck were claw marks, bleeding as bad as the scratches in Hannibal's side.

Face was laying on his right side, the left side of his face hidden as he lay on it. The left sleeve of his jacket was torn away, blood coating his arm. Hannibal gently touched his arm, trying to find the bite under the slick blood. He finally located it, on the underside of his arm and wrapping around to the top of his forearm. The shoulder of that arm looked out of place, most likely caused by Face trying to jerk his arm free.

Hannibal leaned in closer to Face and said in a hoarse voice, "Face? Can you hear me?"

His only response was a slight moan from the limp figure. Feeling his back for injuries and finding none, Hannibal ever so carefully rolled Face over to see his face and gasped. Blood covered the whole left side of his head, seemingly coming from more than one spot. To Hannibal, it seemed to be the top of his head, his cheek, and jaw.

"Okay, we need to get back to the plane," He tried to tell Face without his tone cracking. "B.A. says he found a first aid kit in the plane. You've got serious injuries, we need to take care of them right away."

"H-H-Han-n-n..." Face's stuttering was choke off and his eyes opened in the slightest bit, searching for Hannibal but apparently not seeing anything.

Hannibal shook his head. "Shh. You're okay. I'm going to lift you now, just stay still." He knew Face was far from okay, and he knew it was his fault. His fault for sending Face away, to fend for himself, alone.

As he got Face into his arms as gently as possible, he couldn't help the painful feeling that was in the forefront of his jangled mind. He had caused this. Face made small gasping noises with every step that Hannibal took. It seemed like a long time when they eventually got the base of the hill. It took as must strength as Hannibal could muster but he got to the top and as soon as he did, he collapsed, his side and arm in pain.

The world seemed to be getting strangely fuzzy, sound muffled. As he hit the ground, Face tumbling away from him, he could make out B.A. and Murdock hurrying forwards. Murdock's hand came down on his shoulder, shaking him and speaking.

B.A. went right for Face, his expression concerned. And Murdock's words that were just barely penetrating the strange wall that had formed in Hannibal's ears before they disappeared altogether...sight...feeling...sound...

"C'mon, Bossman! Don't go out! Stay with us...stay...with...us..."

**A/N: So...Good? Bad? Ugly?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Alright this chapter is...well...a little out there...but I don't think it's bad. Also, 'Killers' are just Murdock's way of saying 'Pain killers' So...enjoy! **

**And thank you wonderful reviewers! You are why I continue to write:)  
**

Someone was touching his wounds. It hurt and Hannibal wished they would just knock it off. He made a groaning sound, lifting his hand to wave the intruder away. There was a shuffling beside him and then a cracking, yet excited voice exclaiming, "Bosco! He's wakin' up! Is there any killers left?"

At the word 'killers', Hannibal's eyes shot open and he immediately regretted doing _that_. The sunlight blinded him and his eyelids snapped down as quickly as they had opened. In the back of his lids, he could see the blue and green colors blending together. As soon as his head was done pounding, he opened them much slower.

Murdock's face was the first thing he saw, leaning above him anxiously and holding what seemed to be a wet cloth. Or, wet toilet paper. The Captain's complexion was extremely pale and he was visibly shaking. Hannibal could feel the tremors in Murdock's hand as he mopped at the Colonel's face with the toilet paper. "How're ya feelin'?" B.A. gruff voice came from his other side.

Hannibal turned his head to see him kneeling over Face's barely conscious body with his head in his hands and gently wiping at the blood. "How long...have I...been out...?" He found it difficult to speak correctly.

"I dunno. A while..." Murdock answered then pulled away to couch violently into the crook of his arm. As soon as he was done he wiped at his nose and looked back at Hannibal. "I thought you was dead or somethin'."

He shifted under the Captain's weak gaze, trying to prop himself up on his elbows. "So, B.A.'s the only healthy and uninjured one so far?"

"Appears so." Murdock nodded.

B.A. gave him a hard glare. "Wouldn't be ill if ya hadn't crashed the plane in the first place, fool."

Murdock pointed at him. "Nobody asked your opinion, mister! Go sit in the plane, you're goin' to time out, young man."

The bigger man only rolled his eyes and ducked his head to examine Face's wound. "Am I going to live?" Hannibal asked of Murdock. He expected a joke, or a very complex summary of his current state that perhaps took little or not thought at all from the pilot. But he only nodded and muttered, "You're fine."

"Captain," Hannibal succeeded in sitting up and focused on the young man as he scooted away towards the fire. "I think you should get some rest. You're not looking...too good."

Murdock threw a stick in Hannibal's direction. "I'm fine, dammit! Stop nagging on me, you're not helping my intuition any."

The only sound was a distant bird calling in the treetops as B.A. and Hannibal exchanged glances then Hannibal held a hand out towards Murdock. "My apologies, Captain. I just assumed you weren't feeling very good."

Murdock turned to Hannibal right as Face slurred, "Wass he blabbin' 'bout?" B.A. shook his head. "Not sure."

The pilot pointed lazily at Hannibal, however from a normal point of view, his finger was not aimed at Hannibal, but about two feet form Hannibal's head. "Now you listen here, you thing you. I know what my body wants. Whether it's a can of Budweiser, a good fly in the sky, or a female, I know! It tells me and right now, it's tellin' me it don't need no rest right now! So back off 'fore I come over there and knock that stupid smile off your old man face."

It was the most likely the wrong moment, but B.A.'s giggles could easily be heard as he tried to cover his mouth and bit down on his tongue. Hannibal ignored him, his eyes fixed calmly on the Captain. "I'm not smiling." He stated.

"Ya are to! I seen it, right there where you...mouth outta be." His words began running together, giving him the impression of having drank too much even though there was not a can of beer within a hundred miles of them.

Somewhere, Hannibal found it in him to get to his feet, ignoring the pain in his side. He shuffled to the Captain, who saw him approaching and jumped loopily to his feet, swaying. "Are you _challengin_' me? Lemme warn ya, I'm from Texas and I wrangled bulls at the rodeo. I fought cows in ma free time...I think?"

"I'm not wanting to fight you, Murdock. You really need to lie down now before I make that an order."

Murdock scoffed and turned to face the jungle before attempting to run off but only tripping over his feet and hitting the ground. The Colonel sighed long and hard before bending down, wincing, and putting his hands on Murdock's shoulders. As he hauled him up, Murdock gave him a strange grin and started laughing.

Face glanced up at B.A., who had his eyebrows mashed together and a deep frown on his face.

The laughing started morphing into a wild hysterical laugh, the kind you heard from the insane bad guy in the movies. As soon as Hannibal had Murdock seat and sat down beside him, Murdock leaned over and braced his hands on the boss' shoulders, his eyes as wild as his laughter.

"They're all dead!" He chided through the frightening laughter. "I killed 'em! _Every single_ one of 'em! I watched as we went down, I saw 'em all die! I KILLED THEM!" He shouted and the hysterics increased in volume until Hannibal was urging to cover his ears.

He tried to scoot away but Murdock had his shoulders in a death grip, the smile on his face seemingly possessed. "You better call the medics," He whispered before screaming, " 'CAUSE I KILLED 'EM!"

Now he was howling, screaming a skin-crawling scream that echoed throughout the area. Much to Hannibal's relief, he released him and threw himself back, grabbing his hair up in his hands and yanking as he screamed.

"Alright, I'm outta here." B.A. stood, about to go down the hill but Face grasped his pants leg and held on tightly, shaking his head with saucer eyes. "We gotta do something!" He said in a frantic whisper.

B.A. nodded and offered slowly, "Riiiight...I'll get a large rock." And he pulled away from Face, disappearing from sight.

"Hannibal!" Face gulped.

"THEY'RE ALL DEEEEEAAAAD!" Murdock seemed to yank himself up by his hair and sent himself roughly into the side of the plane, banging his head against it with loud thuds. Face and Hannibal winced in sync with the thuds before Hannibal got painfully to his feet and cautiously made his way to the man. "Murdock! Stop that before you hurt yourself even more!" He demanded of the pilot.

Murdock whirled around so suddenly Hannibal stumbled backwards and held his hands up, his face for once showing the fright he was indeed feeling.

"Listen to me. You need to stop screaming and beating yourself up. You are not in Iraq anymore! It's me, Hannibal, your boss-"

Murdock's blood-curdling scream cut him off and he dove for the man, Hannibal just barely side-stepping in time and watching as the pilot hit the ground, rolling over and glaring up at him, his teeth grinding together and a growl rumbling in his chest. "I'm gonna kill you just like I killed the others!"

"I'd rather you did not..." Hannibal's eyes darted to Face and back. The conman tried to move but only gasped in pain, falling back against the plane.

And the Captain let loose his scream, this time the other two could no longer stand it and their hands clamped down tightly over their ears. Only when a large shadow fell over Murdock did he die down and slowly looked back over his shoulder, gasping loudly as soon as he did.

B.A. was right behind him with the large rock he had promised raised up in his hands, right above Murdock's head. Their eyes locked for a moment and Hannibal cleared his throat. "Uh, B.A...You might want to be careful with that..."

"You stop your screamin', fool, or you're gonna feel a whole new world of pain!" He threatened. Murdock's dilated eyes were sizing up the rock and he blew out a gust of air, nodding. Seeming to take his answer, B.A. _humphed_ and let the rock fall to the side of Murdock, dusting his hands off and turning to go back to where Face was laying when a hand grasped his ankle and he was falling forwards.

"You're not gonna take me in that easily!" Murdock was shouting, pushing himself up and taking a look around, his eyes widening. He seemed to be in a deeper trance, his lips parted in shock, his eyebrows raised almost sadly. His hands latched onto the hem of his shirt.

Warily Hannibal stepped forward and extended his arm, hesitating and deciding it best to not touch Murdock at the moment. He cleared his throat again. "Captain?"

One of his hands unlatched itself from his shirt and he gathered up the collar of Hannibal's shirt instead, dragging him close with surprising strength. When he was just a whisper away, the pilot turned his head to him. "Look around," His whisper had a chill to it. "You can see the bodies of the once living, their ghosts hovering above, seeking vengeance. They're mad at me. They want to kill me, like I killed them. They want to grab their knives and cut, back and forth, back and forth..." He was making cutting motions with his free hand.

"Look! They're coming closer, blades ready. They're gonna kill me...they're gonna _kill_ me. They're gonna..." And his arms wrapped tightly around Hannibal's shoulders, screaming at his side, "DON'T LET THEM KILL ME!"

B.A. marched back towards the rock, Face once more grabbing his pants but this time, B.A. brought him with him. Face refused to let go as he was drug across the grass, his whole body screaming in pain. "B.A.! Stop!"

The iron-like restraints that were Murdock's arms were cutting off Hannibal's circulation and air supply. He brought a tingling hand up and tried to shove him off but the pilot was howling, cowering against him. "You might hit Hannibal instead!" Face was persisting as B.A. aimed the rock at the two. Somewhere Face found it in him to get up higher and grabbed onto B.A.'s arms, pulling them down. B.A. was throat off balance and the rock tipped out of his wobbling arms, landing right on his foot.

He swore loudly, kicking Face to the side and falling on his bottom, yanking his shoe off. Face rolled to a stop near Hannibal and Murdock, eyes stinging with tears of pain as he found it difficult to breathe.

"James!" Hannibal boomed, gaining a hint of attention from his pilot. Round, green eyes gave him the smallest of glances before his face was hid again in Hannibal's shoulder. "Get off me!"

He was more shocked than relieved when Murdock was lifted sharply off his side and restrained now in B.A.'s muscled arms. His right foot was bare and swelling already.

"Damn fool."

Murdock struggled, kicking his legs back and forth and trying to claw at B.A.'s arms. With Hannibal's help, Face was on his feet and the two limped over to stand in front of B.A. and Murdock held prisoner. "I'll hold his arms, you get him out." Hannibal instructed in a stern tone. Face gave him a worried look and started to move closer to Murdock when the pilot's hands were nearly raking across his already injured face. He jumped back, eyes wide.

"He's trying to claw my eyes out!" He proclaimed in disbelief. Hannibal shook his head, taking a dive and locking his hands around Murdock's. He fought harder and Face took the chance to clamp his hand down on his face.

His palm rested over Murdock's mouth, the corner where thumb meets hand blocking Murdock's nose. The pilot's screams were muffled and slowly dying away as he was losing the battle for air. It took longer than they had expected, but the pilot soon fell limp and B.A. lowered him onto the ground.

Hannibal made no other sounds, wiping his brow and turning on his heel, limping to the plane. He shut the door behind him. Face slowly got down beside Murdock and attempted to get comfortable. B.A. watched him from the side. "You sure that's a safe idea?"

"Bosco...it's _Murdock_." Face reminded him before letting his eyes close and leaving the big guy for his own. It had to have been two hours, maybe less maybe more, when there was a gasping sound and B.A., who had been digging through the small medical kit, heard the high-pitched voice.

"_Theeey're heeeeerrree_! Hahahahaha!"

Someone was crawling towards him and he never looked away form the kit as he raised his fist and brought it as forcefully as he could to the side, smacking something hard and heard a body drop over, completely out. He shook his head, giving Murdock a glare. "Crazy fool. What _are_ we gonna do with ya?"

**A/N: Eh, creepy. So would you agree to more Murdock creepiness? I kinda think Murdock imitating horror movies and acting all...creepy,(Which I'll admit the only thing close to horror I ever got so far was "Dawn of the Dead' and 'Land of the Dead'...I really don't prefer horror movies, they scare me) But that would be...interesting to a point. What do you think? If you don't think so, then don't be afraid of hurting my feelings and saying what you think! Because that's why I throw these suggestions out here:)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm SO sorry for the delay! Feel free to throw things at me *Ducks under table, preparing for flying objects* **

**Anyways, as always let me know what you think of this chapter and if you want me to redo it. **

**I don't own the A-Team!  
**

There was soft knocking on the door of the plane. Hannibal, who had been sitting in the first row with a fresh cigar in his mouth, slowly rose and went around the wall to pull the door open. He was met with those crystal blue eyes, sorrow filled and nervous. Hannibal sighed and shifted his weight, wondering if he was ready to talk to Face just yet. He wasn't sure his temper had cooled all the way.

Behind Face was B.A. sitting by the fire, an unconscious Murdock laying near him on his side. But he nodded once and stepped to the side to let Face enter. The conman did, very slowly as his injuries were still severe. He assumed B.A. had helped him up and to the door. As soon as he Face was in the plane, Hannibal shut the door and took hold of his right arm, leading him to the first seat. Then he sat down in the opposite row, facing the younger man. They sat silent, Face's eyes downcast to the floor and Hannibal's trained on Face, waiting for him to speak. Hannibal finally broke the silence first, sensing Face was never going to anytime soon.

"You know I'm not very happy with you." He stated. Face darted a glance at him and stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Then why'd you rescue me? You could have, just let me die and not have to deal with me anymore. That'd be one less pain in your side."

Hannibal's eyes took on a sudden fire and Face leaned back, flinching. "Don't you _ever_ say that again, Face!" He snapped, jabbing his finger at him. "I rescued you because I care about you, whether I'm angry at you or not. I don't care if you had shot at me, I still would have saved your ass and never regretted it for one second."

Face shrugged. "Murdock's already in a bad shape, now you've got to worry about me too..."

"I know Murdock is not well. But right now we're talking about you, not Murdock. And I do believe you have some talking to do." Hannibal folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow.

"I got mad, I lost my temper and said things I shouldn't have," Face admitted as he looked down at the floor. "I won't tell you I didn't necessarily mean all of it, because I did. If you want to know the truth, I really _am _blaming Murdock for all of this. I know it's not all his fault, but maybe I just need someone to blame. And those bastards that shot us down, they're long gone. I just...just need something to yell at that..." He shook his head and hugged his shoulders.

When he looked at Hannibal, the older man was frowning at him. "Maybe you should be apologizing to Murdock next. After all, you yelling at him and blaming him, led him to try and kill himself." He informed Face and the conman's eyes grew, his mouth opening with a small gasp. "You're lying...don't, don't say that, Hannibal." He stuttered in a wavering tone.

"I am not. Just ask B.A., he was one who went in on him, stopped him right before he could do any real damage. When I asked him what he had been thinking, he told me exactly this, 'Maybe if I was dead, Face would be happier. Since he wants to blame me for everything.' And I couldn't exactly blame him for feeling that way." Hannibal leaned towards Face and gave him a stern look.

They heard B.A. grumbling outside and some birds cawing in the distance. Face was aching and he tried to shift into a more comfortable position without much success. As Hannibal was about to say another thing, there was a delicate knocking on the door and Hannibal cleared his throat, shouting, "Come in!"

They heard the door quietly swing open and knew it definitely wasn't Bosco. As soon as Murdock came around the wall, hands wrung in front of him and eyes scared, Face got a sudden feeling of guilt. Murdock only looked towards Hannibal.

"Are you feeling any better, Captain?" He asked in a gentle tone, pulling out another cigar but not lighting it. Murdock shrugged stiffly. "Kinda. I dunno." He answered in a hoarse voice.

Hannibal glared at Face and used his chin to indicate Murdock, his eyes widening. Face bit his lower lip for a moment then slowly looked up to the Captain, who looked down then glanced warily at Face. He knew he had been talked about and Face could see the angst growing in his eyes.

"Murdock," He started, attempting to stand. "Look. I am really sorry for what I said to you...and I didn't mean any of it." Though he had said it with as much emotion as he could, Murdock could still see through his lie. He reacted in a painful shock, eyes growing and jaw falling with an audible gasp. Face internally kicked himself and shook his head quickly. "Listen to me, okay? Maybe, maybe I really did. But, I was mad and even though I had been thinking it, it still shouldn't have come out. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You think it's all my fault...you all do!" Murdock suddenly whirled towards Hannibal and pointed at him accusingly.

"Of course we do, fool!" B.A. hollered from outside the plane. He was otherwise ignored and Hannibal got to his feet, holding his hands out, trying to calm the pilot. "No we don't. Or at least, I don't. These things happen, and it's not worth getting worked up about, playing the blame game-"

"You do and you know it!" Murdock turned out towards the door and shouted in his scratchy voice, "That's why you stopped me, B.A.! Because you want me alive just so you can keep making my life hell!"

Hannibal grabbed his shoulders and turned Murdock sharply towards him. "That's enough! Now you listen, both of you. We have no one to blame except those men who shot at us. Murdock had no control over what the engine was doing,"

He paused and Murdock took that moment to swing at Hannibal. But the Colonel lashed out and caught Murdock's forearm, lowering it and ignoring Murdock's attempts to free himself.

"God man, he's trying to make you feel better and you act like he's dissing on you!" Face snapped, finally on his feet and glaring at Murdock. "Have a heart."

Hannibal gave him a look. "You stay out of this, Peck."

"Maybe we outta knock him out again." Face grumbled, crossing his arms. Murdock turned and growled at him, finally freeing his arm but keeping it at his side. "Face!" Hannibal yelled angrily and left Murdock to go grab onto Face's arm, pulling him roughly, not thinking any about the man's injuries. Face grabbed onto the arm rest and fought against Hannibal's pulls.

"You going to banish me once again? Let me get killed this time? Because forget Murdock, you all could get along just fine without _my_ complaining, couldn't you!" He demanded in a sour tone and Hannibal spun around, raising his fist and decking Face right along the cheek.

The whole plane went dead quiet. Murdock's gasp was the only sound. Face had fallen to the side under the force of Hannibal's blow, his eyes stunned. Even Hannibal had a look of disbelief on his face for a moment. As Face gradually faced back to Hannibal, his hand raised up to carefully touch his bruising cheek. B.A. poked his head in to see what had happened.

No one spoke for what felt like the longest time, then, "What the hell is wrong with you?" Face blew, yanking back and throwing his arm down at his side.

"You...you can't punch Face...Even if," Murdock was sputtering as B.A. came up behind him and Face was then surprised that Murdock would defend him even though he was furious at him.

"I don't think that applies to Hannibal." B.A. muttered. Hannibal still had his hand raised and he slowly brought it to his face, looking at it before looking at Face.

"Just...just get out." He looked around at each of them. "Get out."

No one moved and Face met eyes with Murdock, then B.A., slowly edging towards them. For the first time in his life, he felt afraid of Hannibal Smith. As he got closer to B.A. and Murdock, he began feeling a tiny bit safer, knowing B.A. wouldn't let anyone punch him again. Even if he did deserve it. And Face knew he had. And that was mostly why it had upset him, because he had crossed the line so far, that it had cost him a hit. B.A. took both of their arms and pulled them out slowly, his eyes on Hannibal until he shut the door.

Murdock stumbled to the fire, throwing himself down, hugging his knees to his chest and burying his face in them. B.A. helped Face to the fire as well, getting him across from Murdock where they weren't real near each other. Then he seated himself between them at one end of the fire.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Oh! How long has it been? I am so sorry! Please forgive me...**

**Ok, another angst filled chapter. I hope you enjoy this and let me know your thoughts an/or opinions. Thank you to everyone who has been staying with me, this really means a lot to me:)  
**

As the sky darkened, B.A. was slowly dozing off. Murdock had his eyes glued on the fire as Face stared upwards at the canopy of tree tops. Hannibal was still residing in the plane, and neither of the three wanted to bother him again. After a while loud snores erupted from the bigger man as he slumped back and Murdock turned his head to gaze at Bosco. Face followed suit and pretty soon they were eye-locked with each other instead. Murdock chewed on his bottom lip as he took in long, deep breaths.

Face couldn't help the way his face seemed to contort in a slight glare, eyes burning into Murdock's and his head slowly shaking back and forth. He wanted to grasp the fact that this was not Murdock's fault and he should apologize for blaming the pilot, but the spur of the moment caused a different set of words to come from the conman's mouth.

He tilted his head. "Why were you flying over this jungle in the first place?"

Murdock's eyebrows knit together. "What?" He asked. Face narrowed his eyes. "When they shot us down, why didn't you direct us to a town or _populated_ location instead of this shit hole?" He repeated slowly.

"Well God, Face. I'm sorry I can't be perfect. Maybe you just don't realize, that when a plane is going down, it's going down and I have no control over where that's going to happen." The pilot hugged himself tightly and pulled his knees up.

Face snorted, earning a pained look from Murdock. He sniffed and looked away from Face. "I wish you'd stop blaming me." Murdock whispered sadly. The conman closed his eyes and shook his head, turning his body to the side, towards the sleeping Sergeant. "It doesn't even matter any more, does it? We are here. And there's seemingly nothing we can do about it, so it just, doesn't matter anymore." Face muttered and Murdock groaned.

"Are you just gonna give up now?" Murdock demanded. "Stay here until we all die of starvation, or eat each other. I dunno about you, but I'm not too keen on that though. God knows I don't wanna eat _you_."

Face snapped his head around to glare at Murdock again. "Are you implying that I taste bad?"

The Captain shrugged. "Yeah, I am. I wouldn't go near the likes of you, even if you were barbecued and smellin' like ribs." He gave a sharp nod and Face threw a stick towards him, missing by several inches. Murdock huffed and threw it back, catching the side of Face's head. It then became a small war, as they chucked sticks back and forth, their aim seeming to improve and by the time Hannibal opened the door of the plane, the feeling of fury was thick like a fog around the plane. The last stick whizzed past Face's shoulder and as he shot up to his feet in a fast motion, Murdock did the exact same and they took a step so they were in each other's faces, foreheads nearly touching.

"I have _had_ it with you!" Face shouted as he threw his arms out to the side. Murdock growled, "I couldn't agree more!"

Before Hannibal could grudgingly intervene, Murdock lunged and knocked himself and Face to the ground. It turned into a rolling brawl of punching, biting, hair pulling, head pounding and kicking. They only were separated when B.A. was rudely awakened and laced his fingers through the back of Murdock's hair, yanking hard enough to jerk tears from one's eyes. Face's arm was suddenly trapped in Hannibal's rough hand and the two were many feet apart. B.A. had one arm looped through both of Murdock's and his other hand grabbing onto the pilot's hair painfully. Murdock writhed uncomfortably.

"I was tryin' to sleep. Did y'all _not_ notice that?" The big man demanded, giving a smaller tug on Murdock's hair. He whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut.

Hannibal glared at Face, who turned to B.A. with angry eyes. "My apologies, _Bosco_. I didn't know I was being so _rude_." He spat. When Hannibal pulled his arm towards him, Face retracted and yanked away, giving the older man a death stare then pointing at Murdock. "You stay the hell away from me, you got that?"

Murdock ground his teeth together but Hannibal spoke first. "Face. You are severely injured, you do _not_ need to be moving around like that. Now sit down and stay down before I make you." He jabbed a finger at the spot near the fire and Face turned to him.

"I am sick of you telling me what to do!" He shouted, throwing his arms up. "In the army, you were above me. But now we're out in the real world and you know what? Military ranks have _nothing_ to do with survival! So just stop telling me what to do!"

B.A. was staring with wide eyes at Hannibal, knowing there was going to be another explosion from the older man and hoping he was wrong about this. Hannibal folded his arms over his chest and nodded slowly. "You're right. This has nothing to do with the army. However, if I wasn't here instructing you, you would be having a very difficult time trying to survive." The calmness of his voice was what scared B.A. and Murdock the most. Face was unfazed. "Try me."

"No! Let's not try 'nything. Face, do what the man says 'fore I crack your skull." B.A. butted in, Murdock still trapped in his strong arms.

They both gave B.A. a look that clearly told him to stay out of it. Hannibal turned back to Face first. "You will do what I tell you. Lay down and get some rest."

Face swept his arm towards Murdock. "What if he kills me and tries to eat me?"

Murdock growled and thrashed against B.A., eyes locked on Face with fury. Hannibal shook his head and put a hand on Murdock's arm to calm him. "None of us are going to eat each other. First of all, that's cannibalism. And that is _not_ acceptable, no matter how hungry you get. Do you each hear me?"

They all gave a sharp nod then B.A. released Murdock. To their relief, he stayed away from Face and began backing away to the door of the plane. "If he doesn't leave me alone, I'm going to snap his neck myself." Face grumbled as he lowered himself onto his knees.

Hannibal gave him an accusing look. "Face stop blaming Murdock, right now! Don't say _anything_ to or about the Captain until I say so."

The conman rolled his eyes and B.A. turned to see where Murdock had gone off to. Then Face jumped up and shot an a finger towards the plane. "I won't stop blaming that asshole until you all admit that it is his fault we wound up here!" He shouted and Hannibal whirled, eyes blazing.

"What did I tell you!" He roared, storming to Face and grabbing onto his shoulders, shaking him very roughly. Face ignored the shots of pain from his injuries and brought his fist back, catching Hannibal right on the jaw line. The Colonel stumbled back, shocked then furious. He punched Face right back, along the right eye. He fell to the side and Hannibal towered above him, daring him to try again.

The conman got to his feet clumsily and brought his foot up into Hannibal's gut. He _oofed_ and fell backwards, hands latched over his stomach. Face leaned back, waiting for the next socking and when Hannibal finally got his footing and had his fist raised, they heard B.A.'s loud swearing and the distinct click of a gun barrel.

Both froze, eyes locked for a split second then slowly turning towards the plane. B.A. had his hands raised, backing away from Murdock, who was holding the gun that Hannibal had originally had. It was pointed right at the two, only a small trigger pull away from possibly killing one of them. Face swallowed and Hannibal brought up his other hand, speaking to Murdock quietly.

"Captain. Please put that down now."

Murdock shook his head and stiffened. "I swear to God, I'll shoot. One of you's going down if you try to come towards me."

"Murdock you don't know what you're doing." Face muttered as Hannibal nodded and took a tiny step forwards. Murdock's trained eyes detected this movement and the barrel was pointed right at Hannibal's head. The Colonel's eyes flickered to B.A., begging him to intervene. B.A. shrugged helplessly, wondering to himself if Murdock could really shoot Face or Hannibal. But that man _is_ clinically insane...

"I'm sorry, Colonel." Murdock whispered, propping the gun up and ducking his head to get a better aim. Face felt his breath catch as he stood frozen with true fright. Hannibal took another step forwards and Murdock's finger touched the trigger, beginning to pull back. "What are you doing?" Face hissed and Hannibal ignored him.

"You don't want to do this, Murdock," Hannibal lowered his hand in front of him. "Give me the gun."

Murdock shook his head, eyes narrowing and fixing his aim. Face leaned in a little, getting the first real good look at the pilot. His eyes were extremely red-rimmed, face ragged and pale with purple bags under his eyes. There was a distinct wetness filling up in his eyes and Face almost felt sorry for everything he had done and said since they had been here. He watched as the tears over flowed, streaming down his cheeks. "Don't do this." Face whispered hoarsely.

"James! Put put the damn gun down!" Hannibal shouted and Murdock heaved a sob before pulling the trigger.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey, will you guys let me know if the scene between Face and Murdock is too...cheesy? **

"You son of a bitch!" Face's voice was the next thing to ring throughout the area, loud and shrill. He was directing it towards Murdock, but facing Hannibal. The older man was holding his right arm, his face contorted in shock. As B.A. started towards him, Murdock whipped the gun around and pointed it flush against his own head, eyes locked with Face's.

"Fine. I'll do it." He choked out and Face felt his eyes widening. He stepped away from Hannibal and slowly extended his hand. "Please, give it to me." He asked softly.

Murdock skittered backwards. "I _heard_ what you called me. I'll just get rid of myself, and save you the headache, since that's what I've become."

"No, you're not a headache. Don't kill yourself, please." Face pleaded, all his anger suddenly evaporating upon realizing Murdock was dead serious. Murdock bit down on his lip and took in a quivering breath through his nose, shaking his head quickly. "No." He whispered.

Face took another careful steps towards him, begging, "James, I'm not going to let you do this. I ne-" He paused and glanced at B.A., trying to get back the anger he had felt earlier. He wished he wasn't feeling this torn, knowing he wanted badly to put all the blame on Murdock, but a bigger part of him reminding him that this was his best friend and if he killed himself, there was no way Face could cope, not now.

He took in a deep breath before continuing. "You won't be very happy if you do this."

"Don't push me," Murdock growled, pushing the barrel harder against his temple. "Why don't you just admit it? I'm a wreck, there's no hope for me. Everything is my fault and maybe sacrificing me to the jungle will get you a way out of here. After all, what am I to you?"

Hannibal had not uttered a word yet and B.A. was giving Face a look that told him he was clearly on his own with this one. But he couldn't leave the question hanging, that would surely give Murdock all the evidence he needed and he would pull that trigger. Face blinked back the forming wetness and swallowed.

"What are you to me? You want to know?" He asked and Murdock nodded. "Alright. I'll tell you. You're my brother, the one person I know I can trust with my life. I can go to you for anything, I can be myself around you. When I was a kid, I wanted a brother so badly, and the day I realized that's exactly what you had become, I was grateful. But now...now I don't know anymore." He broke off, shaking his head and staring down at the mossy ground.

Murdock never moved the gun. "So now, it no longer matters. We never accounted on things changing, and they have. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow my head off right now." He demanded and Face groaned. "Just put it down!"

"You don't have a reason!" Murdock blew and he pointed his other finger at Face accusingly. "Because I made a mistake, you absolutely hate me! What kind of a friend are you?"

Face yearned to just sit down and sleep until they found a way to get out and the other two could see this. Hannibal was about to ask for the medical kit when B.A. demanded of Murdock, "So whattya gonna do, fool? Make a decision righ' now so I can get on with my life."

The pilot kind of gasped and turned his miserable eyes on the bigger man, the hand holding the gun falling slack. Face blew out a gust of air and Hannibal took the silence to ask for the kit. B.A. went to retrieve it and tossed it to Face, who helped the Colonel onto the ground and dug into the beg for a gauze.

"I think his aim was off, it looks like it just skimmed your arm." He pointed out and Hannibal turned his eyes up to Murdock. His hand fell and the gun hit the ground with a soft thud.

He turned to the two and shook his head, eyes over filling. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not perfect, I'm sorry your lives have to be ruined by me. I'm sorry I can't do anything right. But more importantly, I am sorry for being alive, that my mom ever met my dad and created me." With a quick motion, he spun around and took off down the hill, despite the fact that his foot was still injured.

"Shit, man." B.A. muttered as he watched the Captain disappear. He turned to the others as Face taped the large bandage around Hannibal's arm and patted it securely before rising to his feet, wincing painfully. "Think he's gonna do somethin'?" B.A. wondered and Face made a noise.

"I don't know what he's going to do anymore. And I wished I didn't care either." The conman limped to the door of the plane, pulling it open. "I need to lay down."

* * *

It wasn't until he was good and far from the plane that Murdock realized he did not have his hat on. He remembered it being on his head when he had the gun against it, however it must have fallen off when he ran down the hill. Which, he also figured out, was not such a bright idea. His ankle screamed up at him, begging him to grow a brain and sit down.

He found a patch of grass by the bank of the river and threw himself down face first, burying his face in his arms. He had never been one for emotional outbursts, never shedding a tear. But, there was something bursting in his emotions wall and he found himself unable to stop the flood of sobs.

"What did I do?" He wondered aloud through the sobs. "Why do they hate me? It was an accident!" He wished Face was there to answer his probing questions, to tell him that they did not hate him and were ready to forgive him. But he knew that was not going to happen.

It was getting dark fast and Murdock rolled onto his side, bringing his legs up and wrapping his arms around them. "I'm sorry, mom," He whispered into the coming night. "I know you wanted the best for me, but I failed. I'm a failure, I don't deserve what I had, the team. I should've known it wouldn't last, and it's all because of me."

He sniffed loudly and shifted around again so that he was laying straight on his side, his right arm under his head and eyes closing.

* * *

Face had found the hat resting on the base of the hill, upside down and dirty. He gently picked it up and brushed the dirt off, taking a look around. He had left the plane after about fifteen minutes against his judgment and made it his goal to locate Murdock and apologize. Before the Captain finally chooses to take his own life, Face thought grimly.

He tried to walk as quickly as he could against the burning pains that shot up through his body with each step. He had no idea where he was going, but stayed along the bank of the river. When he thought he was not going to have any luck whatsoever, he finally saw him.

Murdock was laying with his back to him a ways down the bank, his breathing calm and his body motionless. As Face drew closer, he noticed that Murdock was fast asleep. The conman finally got to him and slowly sat down behind him, taking in the strangely calm look on Murdock's face. It was innocent looking, almost like a child. Face reached out hesitantly and placed his hand ever so softly on Murdock's shoulder. Though he appeared to be in a deep sleep, he must not have been because the moment Face's fingers touched his shoulder, Murdock stirred.

He rolled over sharply and his glare pierced Face. They stared at each other for what felt like a long time, Face's hand still resting on Murdock's arm and Murdock watching him carefully as if expecting Face to suddenly attack him. But before he could react, Face suddenly had Murdock engulfed in his arms.

It was eerily silent throughout the jungle and Murdock finally brought his arms up and wound them around Face's shoulders, burying his face in the other man's shoulder. Face's voice was very quiet in his ear as he told him, "I'm sorry."

When they broke apart, Murdock wiped his nose and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I thought, I thought you were really going to...to..." He shuddered and Murdock raised his eyebrows. "Kill myself?" He offered and Face nodded, eyes downcast.

Murdock too looked down. "I thought about it. After I woke up, I was going to throw myself into the river...I figured it was best."

"Why?" Face wanted to know. He lifted his gaze and stared into Murdock's eyes.

Murdock never broke the stare as he answered. "None of you wanted me around. I couldn't stand failing you guys. I knew I was to blame, and I thought if I was out of the way, then you would all be able to think clearer and find a way out of here."

The river splashed close and they both turned their heads to it before Face looked down again while Murdock stared at the river thoughtfully. "I won't tell you that you're wrong. We're all not in the right state of mind right now, give or take B.A., though. But later, it would have come back to haunt us. We need you, we need Hannibal, we need B.A. and we need me. This team, consists of the four of us. Not the three of us, or the two of us. I came here to stop you before you did any damage."

"But...how can I really trust you, Face?"

Face sucked in some air and held it for a moment then blew it back out, shrugging. "I don't know. Just, don't. Listen, believe, but don't trust,"

Murdock groaned. "That makes no sense!"

Face grabbed both of Murdock's shoulders, giving a small shake. "Just do it! Okay? None of us can be trusted right now, but we need to still listen to each other. So listen to me when I say that we need you, and you better not try to kill yourself. Understand?"

With confusion etched across his features, Murdock nodded slowly, his top teeth digging into his bottom lip once again. Face was surprised he hadn't bitten it off yet.

"We need to get back." He shifted onto his knees and carefully got to his feet from there. When he lowered his hand, Murdock grasped it like it was a lifeline and he helped him up. They began along the bank of the river and Face turned to Murdock warily. "I'm not saying we're settled."

Murdock nodded. "I know."

And Face found himself feeling sunken, that his best friend really did know they were not going to get any better as of the time being. He would probably never trust Face again, nor be as close as he had been before. And maybe, Face though, that was going for all of them. The thought stung a little.

He reached out and grabbed Murdock's jacket sleeve like it was a support system.

**A/N: Was this chapter alright? I wanted to get the point that even though he sort of apologized to Murdock, Face was still wary of him and still kind of blaming him. And that no one is trusting each other. I tried not to make it seem cheesy, I really hope this is a good chapter. Anyways, that you so much everyone!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Ah wow, it's been a crazy two weeks. However, I finally got this up! enjoy this chapter and thank you to all who has reviewed and/or added this story to Favorites and all, that means a lot to me :)**

"Face..." Murdock broke off, his hands going up to support his head. Face looked over at him. "Yeah?"

"I don't...I'm not feeling, real good...again."

As he watched Murdock, the pilot seemed to be sinking. They had stopped walking and before Face could reply, Murdock was on his knees, falling forwards. Face stooped and caught him in time.

"Murdock, what's wrong?" He demanded. The other man shook his head, grimacing. "I dunno."

Face pulled Murdock towards him and placed the back of his hand on the pilot's forehead. He puled it back sharply. "Jesus, Murdock! You're burning up."

Murdock half-smiled coyly. "Why, thank you."

"Don't joke around. This is serious, you need to get back to the plane _now_." Face turned Murdock's head so they were face-to-face. Murdock's eyes were glazed over, staring just beyond Face's head. "Can you walk?"

"I don't think so," Murdock answered groggily.

Face groaned before sliding his arm around Murdock's waist and pulling Murdock's arm up around his shoulders. With great effort and a lot of pain, he got them both to their feet, only to feel Murdock suddenly go dead-weight on him again. Though Face managed to keep him up this time, he knew there was no way they could keep going like this.

Even the mere thought send his body into pain spasms, but he swept his other arm under Murdock's legs and when he was holding the Captain bridal-style, he blew out a gust of air. "Ah, God. You are so damn thin! Why're you so _heavy_?" He grumbled through clenched teeth. Murdock laughed in response.

It felt like a very long trek but as soon as the hill came into sight, Face felt more relieved. "Face, if you're really mad at me...then why didn't ya just leave me?" Slurred Murdock.

Face grunted under the effort and replied. "Don't you...remember what I...told you?"

When they got to the top, it was all Face could do to keep from just dumping Murdock right there and going to lay down. Instead he carried him right to the fire and layed him down there. On the ground across from the fire was Murdock's jacket and Face went to retrieve it, folding it and pushing it under Murdock's head. "Just do us all a favor, and sleep."

"Thanks." The Captain mumbled, his eyes already closed. Face bit his lip to keep from smiling, telling himself that he is still mad.

He turned around and met B.A. coming up behind him, his eyebrows raised in an almost knowing expression and Face shook his head. "Don't say anything. I don't want to hear it. Where's Hannibal?"

B.A. jabbed a thumb to the plane. "Where else? In there sulking, smoking enough to put a bar to shame."

When Face knocked quickly on the door, it took a few minutes for the older man to get to it. He stood aside and let Face pass, leaving the door ajar and following the conman into the cabin. Face planted himself in the first row and waited until Hannibal was in the row across from him to take in a deep breath and say, "I might have an idea."

There was a contemplative silence as Hannibal finished his current cigar and folded his arms over his chest. "An idea as to...?" He asked and Face waved his hand in the air. "A way to get out. It may or may not work, we'd just have to find out." He shrugged as Hannibal stared him down.

"Is this your best idea?" Hannibal wanted to know.

Face sighed. "Not really, I've had better, you know. My only concern is whether or not Murdock is strong enough. He just kind collapsed a few minutes ago, I had to carry him back up here..." Breaking off, Face let his eyes wander to the door as he listened to B.A. shuffling around outside.

Hannibal leaned towards him, bringing his eyes back. "If you're thinking anywhere close to what I was thinking, we may have a break through."

"Follow the river...?" Face offered hesitantly and Hannibal added, "Up until we reach civilization and can get a flight out." Then his face broke into a grin so suddenly Face almost did a double-take and recalled that it felt like it had been a long time since any of them had smiled at all.

He nodded at his Boss. "Sounds simple. But there's going to be a lot of walking...however, I had a thought," He paused and Hannibal nodded for him to continue. "Instead of walking, we can use parts of the plane to make a raft. Float downstream and save our energy, also it would help Murdock out. He's still pretty sick, I think anyways."

"Aluminum doesn't float, Face. We'd have to use the floor or something." Hannibal noted and Face slumped back into the seat, realized something and suddenly sat up, eyes wide. "What about the seats? For emergency landings in water, they can be turned into flotation devices, if you flip the bottoms over." He stated then looked around the plane curiously.

Hannibal was nodding thoughtfully. "True, very true..."

"You could also use slide that pops out under the door." A cracking voice said form the doorway and they turned to see Murdock leaning against the wall, his face pale and weary. Face gave him a sharp look. "You're supposed to be asleep."

Murdock shook his head and came slowly into the cabin, sitting down in the row behind Hannibal. "Couldn't sleep. 'Sides, you guys are plannin' something with this plane. I'm the guy who knows everything about anythin' that has to do with planes and anything else that flies. I can help." His words ran together in that way a person who has gone without sleep for a long time does but they knew there was no point in arguing.

They were about to go on when B.A. was appearing in the plane now, looking at them quickly before sitting behind Face. "I'm part of this team, too. Now let's make a plan to get the hell outta here, right now." He grumbled in a determined tone.

For the first time since they had first stepped onto the plane while it was in good condition, the four men felt like there was a small sliver of a chance they could get out of this junge, alive.

**A/N: Well, they gotta get out sooner or later. But don't worry, the adventure isn't quite over yet! They still gotta get up the river...alive...dun dun dun! Reviews please! Thank you.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Let me know if you thought they got into the river too fast, and if this was too dramatic. And it's not a slash, ha. **

**Anyways, thank so so much to everyone who has reviewed, you guys really make my day with these wonderful reviews!:)  
**

"Is this like something you read somewhere once or what?" Face was watching Murdock as he lined the seat cusions up in a rectangle and made sure they were even. "I know stuff, alright?" Murdock slapped his knees and stood up beside Face.

A toilet seat suddenly landed on the carefully arranged cushions and they looked over at B.A. as he stopped by Face. "What?" He demanded as they stared at him.

"So uh...what's that for?" Face asked with mild amusement.

B.A. shook his head. "The raft. 'Less ya had other ideas."

"Boys!" The three of them turned around as Hannibal came striding out of the plane, a shotgun in one hand and a rope in the other. Face placed his hands on his hips, eyebrows raised in question as he asked his CO, "Boss...where did you get that uh, rope there?"

The Colonel knelt down, a grin threatening to appear as he squinted up at Murdock. "Captain, give me a hand tying these together. What's this for?" He added, lifting the toilet seat up and giving it a look of confusion.

"Why d'ya keep askin' me that?" B.A. demanded. "Murdock said we needed it!"

Murdock shrugged when they cast strange looks on him now. "I was getting tired of him hanging over my shoulder going, 'Is this gonna be safe? It ain't gonna fly is it? If it does, Imma kill ya right now, fool.' Do ya know how annoying that was?"

Hannibal and Murdock finished tying the flotation cushions together and the older man stood up, looking at Face. "I can't tall you where I got this rope, Face. It's my secret." He answered and turned back to the raft. "Will it float, Murdock?"

"It should," Murdock wiped his forehead and pointed out towards the river. "Keep it going down the current, you shouldn't have any problems." His voice was coming out in a very breathy tone.

Together they carried the raft down to the bank and Hannibal checked for any loose ends before motioning to Face to start pushing to the water. "As soon as Face gets it in, we'll jump on. Be quick, I doubt we'll be able to reverse and come back." Hannibal advised as Face held it tightly to keep it form floating away. There was a soft thud from behind B.A. but none of the team members acknowledged it.

B.A. started towards the water and Hannibal grabbed the other side to keep it in place. The three were about to hop on when they realized they were one man short. Face tossed his head to the side and saw Murdock first, laying on his front in the tall grass. He gasped, immediately releasing his hold on the raft and sprinting to the fallen man, ignoring the pain and Hannibal shouting at him as he was yanked to the side by the power of the current.

Face threw himself down by Murdock, grabbing him and rolling him over, letting his head rest in his lap. He was extremely pale and sweaty. His hat had fallen off as he fell, his sweat-soaked hair matted against his head. The conman touched his hand to Murdock's forehead, the heat coming off his skin seeming to burn Face's hand. He bent his head in and gave Murdock a tiny shake.

"Hey. Hey, come on, Murdock. We gotta go now." He said softly. The Captain remained still and silent, the only indication that he was alive was the very slow and barely-there movement of his chest as he breathed. "Murdock. Don't do this right now, okay? We've got a chance to get out of here, wake up!"

B.A. shouted something over to him but Face hardly heard him, hugging the smaller man in his arms close. It began to dawn on him how bad Murdock really was. If they didn't get him help by the next day...Face shuddered.

"Face!" Hannibal yelled. Face snapped up and glared at the Colonel. "We need to go, now! Get him over here or you'll be left behind!"

Picking Murdock up just hurt at the very thought. Face let him fall out of his arms and stooped at his head, hooking his hands under Murdock's underarms and began pulling. As soon as he got to the raft, B.A. swept Murdock off the ground and tossed him as gently as he could onto the raft. Face dove on next, followed by B.A. and then Hannibal. The raft bucked forwards and began down the bumpy river.

Face crawled over to Murdock and lifted him up into his arms again, checking the pilot's pulse and sighing shakily. "He's really bad, Boss."

"I know." Hannibal nodded, his face lined with concern.

A small moan escaped Murdock's lips, his eyes cracking open a little bit. He peered up at Face, his gaze unsteady. "F-F-Fac-c-ce..."

"Shh, I'm here. It's okay, buddy." Face leaned in so he could hear Murdock better. "H-hurts..." the pilot whimpered.

"What hurts?" Face asked warily.

"E-everyt-thing."

Face brought his hand to the back of Murdock's head, resting his chin on the top of the pilot's head, stroking his wet hair. "I know. I'm sorry. For everything."

The other two had been silent, watching, when the raft suddenly flew up a few inches then landed with a loud smack, spraying the occupants with water. B.A. whirled around and squinted down the river. "We ain't headed towards like, a waterfall are we?" He wanted to know. Hannibal shook his head. "No, that's behind us."

Murdock fell limp again and Face's hand instinctively went to his neck. The soft pulse was the only thing that relieved him a little bit. He stretched his legs out and pulled Murdock closer, feeling the Captain shiver a little. "I'm worried now, Hannibal." Face whispered to the Colonel, pulling his head back off Murdock's.

Hannibal nodded. "We're going to get him help. I promise."

And Face bit down on his lip, staring down at the troubled face of his surrogate brother, wondering if it was really possible that this lively and happy-go-lucky pilot could just die. It seemed impossible and made Face's eyes burn. He rested his forehead against Murdock's burning one.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This is a very short chapter, and if you think this ending came too fast, let me know. I believe this is the end, unless you all see that there absolutely needs to be one last chapter, then tell me so and I'll do it. **

**So let me know! Thank you so much!  
**

"Hey Hannibal, you seein' that?" B.A. was pointing into the distance up the river, squinting. Hannibal pulled away from Face and Murdock to look where B.A. was looking and saw the big tower poking up over the tree line. His weariness lifted completely and he grinned widely.

"Belem. That's the town of Belem, right there."

At the word 'town', Face's head snapped up, eyes bright with hope. Even Murdock seemed more alive than minutes before. "You mean...?"

Hannibal nodded and even B.A. had to grin. "We've made it, boys. We did it, we survived long enough to get out of here." The boss was saying as they awaited the landing anxiously.

* * *

"You boys look like you've seen some serious Hell." The doctor stated in a matter-of-fact tone. He was finishing hooking an IV up to Murdock, who was fast asleep. Hannibal chuckled and Face groaned quietly. "It's called the Amazon Jungle, Doc."

The young Doctor's eyes widened and he nodded. "Ahh. Oh yeah, I understand. Haven't gone too deep in there, but heard it's pretty wild in there." He stepped back and checked over the monitor then smiled at the three men. "He should be alright now. The nurse'll be in soon to check on him again. See you in the morning."

As soon as he left, Face blew out a big gust of air. "Wow. Part of me feels like it was all a bad dream or something." He shifted his weight, wincing as it pulled at fresh stitches.

B.A. raised his eyebrows, nodding absently in the armchair. "I understand, man. Was pretty wild alrigh'." He murmured and Hannibal patted both of their shoulders, leaning back on the cushion bench beside Face. "We're okay now, boys. As soon as Murdock's better, we'll get out of here and maybe take a break. I think, we deserve it." He winked and they both chuckled tiredly.

"That sounds great, boss." Face muttered before his jaw fell slack and his breathing deepened as he fell deeper into sleep. B.A. went quickly after and Hannibal took a moment to look at each of his men, thinking about how lucky they've been over the years.

He knew luck ran out eventually and could only hope it would last at least a little longer. He owed it to his boys, for all they've been put through.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Alright, I worked long and hard on this chapter. It may seem cheesy or unrealistic, so tell me if it does. I wanted to just get things out of the way, I know that sounds lazy, I'm sorry. But, enjoy!**

Someone was running their fingers along Murdock's hair. It was stringy and greasy, knotted and there were flecks of dirt in it. The Captain's eyes cracked open, head pounding against the light coming through the window. He waited a moment then opened them wider, glancing around. B.A. was snoring across the room, Hannibal was laying on the bench with closed eyes. The motion on his hair stopped and Murdock turned his head to the left and saw the crystal blue eyes peering back at him. He swore, shaking his head and swatting Face's hand away.

"Stop touchin' me." Murdock slurred. Face let his hand drop into his lap, his mouth forming a straight line. "Sorry. How're you feeling?"

Something on the IV machine beeped and Murdock groaned. "Why...do you care?"

"Because...Should I not?" Face reached out and straightened the sheets across Murdock's abdomen. The pilot glared at him. "You sure didn't before. What happened to, 'This is all your fault, Murdock. Why are you such an idiot?' Huh?"

Face shrugged, sighing helplessly and finding it hard to meet Murdock's eyes. "Yeah...yeah that's a good question. But I don't think I have a good answer-"

"So you're just gonn' tell me, that he was left behind in the jungle and that you're _real_ sorry for bein' a jerk to me," Murdock tried to prop himself up on his elbows, flinching a little. "Then you're gonna think everything's alright because you apologized and maybe I said, 'I forgive you.' Which I don't. So don't waste your breathe on a lie."

There was a tense silence between them, Face stared guiltily at the blankets and Murdock glared at Face. The conman reached out again and took hold of Murdock's wrist, ignoring him as he tried to jerk away, and proceeded to untangle the IV cords, setting his arm back down softly.

He finally met Murdock's eyes. "I know words can't ever been taken back. And I know they hurt worse sometimes. I also know that I've hurt you with my words...and that's something I can't take back. I understand that you have every right to hate me for the rest of your life, and I would respect your thoughts. But I wouldn't agree with them. It was me who came down to make sure you weren't going to hurt yourself, by the river. I got you to come back with me, because if you had killed yourself..." He grimaced and shook his head.

"If I had killed myself?" Murdock hissed. "What would you have done? C'mon, tough guy, tell me. It's okay, no secrets here, right?" He tried to sit up but gasped when his head suddenly pounded. His vision blurred over with black spots and he fell back against the bed with a blank look.

Face came forwards, hands grasping Murdock's shoulders and he called his name quietly once before the Captain's eyes rolled back to him and he tried to push Face off.

"Stop! Just don't," Murdock was begging, shaking his head back and forth despite it only making the headache worse. Face pulled his hands back but remained standing. "Is that is then?" He asked Murdock. "You hate me, I keep away from you."

Murdock never moved. "Then you will have no reason to blame me for something later on."

"Why can't you just forgive me and we'll move on with life!" Face threw his arms out to the side, voice rising a little. Murdock's eyes widened furiously. "_Forgive_ you! No, no, no, _no_ NO! You said things, that hurt, okay? You're supposed to be my best friend...do those two words mean _anything_ to you?"

Face didn't respond and Murdock barked a hysterical laugh. "Yeah! I thought so."

There was a small snore from B.A. and Face looked down then back at Murdock, then he turned and began walking to the door before he stopped and turned, reaching into his jacket pocket. Murdock watched with narrowed eyes as he pulled something red from it and chucked it none too softly at Murdock. It hit his forehead and fell into his lap. The conman threw the door open and left without another word.

Eyes still narrowed angrily, Murdock unrolled the red object. He could not help the widening of his eyes, the small gasp that escaped him as he looked at his hat.

_**Flashback**_

_Hannibal waited until he was sure the raft wasn't going to sink or flip over before crawling to where Face sat, holding Murdock in his lap. He sat beside the young man and put a hand on his shoulder, speaking softly. "We'll get out of here, kid." _

_"I know," Face uttered blankly. "Hannibal...I, I said some...really terrible things to him." Face looked up with wet eyes. _

_Hannibal nodded, trying to appear understanding. "Yes. We all were saying things to each other." _

_There was a large bump and B.A. bounced off, his hand still gripping the side of the raft. Hannibal and Face both shouted in unison, all but tossing Murdock aside and crawling quickly to Bosco. _

_"Dammit! I blame you, Hannibal! This was your idea!" B.A. was shouting as he held on tightly. Face held out his hand and flexed his fingers. "Take my hand, Bosco! Come on!" _

_The larger hand came forward and grabbed onto Face's smaller one. Hannibal took a hold of his forearm and they pulled. As B.A. got his top half on the edge of the raft, it began lifting upwards. The other two felt themselves sliding down towards the water and Face was about to slip into the water when the raft suddenly leveled out. They didn't look back, taking the opportunity to haul B.A. back onto the raft. They lay panting, B.A. soaked and looking extremely unhappy. _

_"Well. That could have been bad." Hannibal stated and looked around to see what had leveled the raft out. _

_Murdock was sitting cross-legged on the other end, eyes showing a milky cloudiness and face scarily pale. The dark circles under his eyes were more prominent. Face swallowed loudly and B.A. swore, shaking his head. "Looks like a dead man, Hannibal. No human's supposed to look like that." He was muttering. _

_Hannibal nodded at Murdock. "Thank you, Captain." _

_"I was being told not too," He whispered in a hoarse voice. "but I did it anyways." _

_Face opened his mouth but there was no sound. Hannibal raised his eyebrows at the unmoving pilot. "Well, I'm glad you did. We'd all be overboard, and in this current I don't think that's a very good idea." _

_Murdock nodded slowly, eyes looking just past Hannibal's head. He was particularly concerned over the milk-colored layer that had settled over his green eyes. It gave him a creepy, dead-looking appearance. _

_Face moved first, slowly crawling towards Murdock. He stopped and sat beside him, tapping his arm. Murdock's head gradually turned towards him and Face pursed his lips. "Are you alright?" He asked then mentally kicked himself for asking a dumb question. _

_"Does he looking alrigh'?" B.A. apparently had been thinking the same thing and made his way over. The raft threatened to tip under his weight but remained flat. _

_As soon as he got in front of Murdock, the pilot began leaning in towards Face, milky eyes set on him. Face's eyes flickered to B.A. quickly then back to Murdock. "What's he doing?" He asked nervously. Murdock began to bare his teeth and was about let his jaw drop when he gasped suddenly and sagged onto Face, eyes shut. The conman snapped his head up, eyes wide and set on B.A., who was behind Murdock. _

_"Had a bad feelin' there." B.A. claimed. "Pinched his neck. He should be out for awhile." _

_Hannibal had watched with a wary expression before turning to the front of the raft, watching the water push them on. _

_**End flashback**_

Hannibal was awake before B.A was and before Face returned. He sat up, stretching and wincing then seeing Murdock siting up, looking at the hat in his hands. The Colonel got to his feet and went around to the bed, ducking his head to see into Murdock's eyes and sighing with relief when he saw they were normal again.

"You're looking better, Captain." Hannibal noted when Murdock looked up at him.

But Murdock had other problems. "What do I do about Face?"

Of all the things Hannibal knew, dealing with issues such as this was not on his top list of specialties. "Did you two talk?" He decided to ask first. Murdock shrugged. "Sorta...I kinda told him I wouldn't forgive him. But, I want to. I just don't think I should." Said the pilot as he twisted his hat around.

"Then you should. You two are close, don't just end your friendship now."

Murdock made a disgusted noise. "All you're thinking about is the _team_. If we don't make up, it will ruin this team."

Hannibal shook his head. "No, I wasn't. I don't know exactly what to tell you, but I believe you should make up. Or at least try."

The discussion was evidently over and Hannibal muttered something about the bathroom as he got to his feet and went to the door. He pulled it open, coming face-to-face with Faceman. He looked guilty almost, blue eyes troubled. The Colonel gave him a shrug and slipped by silently. Face let the door gently hit his shoulder, peering at Murdock. Murdock stared back.

"You can come in, I guess." He finally allowed and Face slowly stepped in as the door shut behind him. He got as far as the curtain and stopped. "If this is the way you want it, then it'll be that way. Don't worry about not getting your wish fulfilled." Face spat sourly.

"I'm actually going to forgive you, jackass." Murdock motioned him forwards and Face sat in the chair by the bed.

Another snore form B.A., they both ignored him. "What?"

Murdock shrugged. "You heard me. Now, isn't that what you wanted?" He demanded. Face shook his head. "Don't forgive me just because I want you too. Yes, I do, but if you won't mean it, then I don't want to hear it." He told Murdock, who quickly wiped at his eyes.

"No I...I really want...to." Now Murdock looked firmly into Face's eyes. "I forgive you. And the only reason why, is because we've had nearly ten years together of friendship. And I don't want to lose that, or you. You're my best friend, and that's the only reason I'm forgiving you." As an afterthought, he added, "If you'd been a stranger, than I'd probably tie you up and leave you for dead in the middle of the jungle."

Face nodded absently. "Harsh."

"Yeah."

There was a silence only broken by more snoring then Face taking Murdock's wrist gently. He looked into the pilot's eyes."I am sorry."

Murdock nodded. "I know."

Face came forwards, pulling the smaller man into his arms and squeezing his eyes shut. Murdock hugged him back, gripping his jacket for a moment then they pulled back. "I know this don't drop very quickly," Face began and Murdock nodded, understanding what he meant. "Maybe one day, we can just forget about all of this. And you know, rebuild some walls...of trust..." Murdock hesitantly added, speaking not just of the two, but of the whole team.

Face wasn't too sure either, but he could hope so.

**A/N: Ok about Murdock's eyes and all. He was just getting too sick and no one really knows what it was. Was this a good ending?**


End file.
